The Shadow Demon
by Fallen Crest
Summary: AU.He was a famous thief with Sky flames. He swore to only get involved with Mafias in his jobs, yet he finds himself getting deeply involved in a war between Millefiore and Vongola that he wants no part of. Just what is his destiny?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**A/N: This story will have the first generation guardians and tenth generation guardians. It will all be explained later on. **

**The Shadow Demon **

**Chapter 1 **

Life was not fair.

He learned that at a very young age when he watched his parents get murdered right in front of his eyes.

To survive in this world, one had to be strong and fight. Everyone needs to make their own path in life and travel along it. There is no other way to survive. If one was not strong, they would find themselves dead early on because there will not always be someone there to protect them.

At just seven years old he learned this when he became an orphan out of nowhere.

As a child he was a crybaby and no-good at anything. He would always mess everything up and had somewhat bad grades. The other kids would tease him because of this. He never fought and took everything that was thrown at him. The idea of fighting scared him because he feared pain. In fact, he feared a lot as a child.

But then his parents were killed in front of him, and that was when reality set in. If he wanted to survive, he would have to rely solely on himself, and at his present state that would be impossible. So he decided to change.

It was hard. It was long. There was a lot of work to be done, but he managed to do it.

No longer did he cry like a baby. He toughened up by learning how to fight and learned to evade. There was so much he learned, had to learn if he wanted to survive. Without his parents he had to learn to survive. Without his parents he had to find a way to support himself.

That is when thieving came to him.

At just twelve years old, he became a thief. Now, he had nothing he wanted to steal. There was no way he could steal money, which was all he needed, because he knew it would somehow be traced back to him. So that is why he became a thief for hire. Anyone could call him up to hire him for a job, but that didn't mean he accepted every single job. He only took jobs that he deemed wasn't going to hurt innocent people. He was a thief, not a killer, which meant he wasn't going to steal something for someone that would lead to chaos and hell.

At thirteen, he was the most famous thief in the world.

Because he was such a famous thief and he had no desire to be arrested, he never showed his face to anyone. There was a phone number to contact him. It was untraceable and constantly changed. This phone number was only available to those in the underground world. It worked especially well since most of his dealings were with the Mafia, and almost always, he was tasked with stealing from other Mafiosi, and there was no way anyone in the Mafia would ask the police for help. If they ever needed something from him, they would have to call that number because there are never any house calls.

Because of his great thievery skills and the fact that no one has ever seen his face, they call him The Shadow Demon. He wasn't a real fan of the name since he didn't consider himself a demon. In fact, he thought he was really nice when he considers the type of world he found himself involved in. Maybe he was too nice for this world, but it couldn't be helped. They needed something to call him by, and since he refused to provide them with anything, they chose his name for them.

He supposed it came from the fact that he worked in the shadows and never showed his face to anyone, unless it was with who he actually was. And the demon part? Well, that was entirely not his fault! Nope, he decided to blame it all on one of the Famiglias he was stealing from. They were strong and caught up with him. They attacked him, but he wasn't so easily defeated.

Actually, he wasn't defeated by them, but it wasn't easy to win.

Granted, in this world, they fought with box weapons and flames. And he only had one box weapon and didn't have a powerful ring that could handle his flames so he had to use his box weapon sparingly. He also had to spend time collecting rings for himself. So that would put him at a disadvantage, though he rather that then having people find out what flame he had. Because of that, he chose not to fight with his flame often which is why he learned to be stealthy and try to escape unnoticed.

When that approach doesn't work, there was always his dying will mode, but he preferred to not use that. It was reliable and he trains in it to work on some techniques, but he prefers people not to know about it. It was his trump card for when the time calls for it.

Besides that, he only recently learned how to access dying will mode when he was thirteen. It took a while to get complete control over it and be able to stay in it for extended periods of time.

And now at fifteen, he found himself to be powerful, but he was not so arrogant as to think that he was invincible. He knew there were others out there with dying will flames. There would always be someone stronger out there that was waiting. He wouldn't arrogantly think he could beat everyone. That was a great way to end up getting killed!

**A/N: Please Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 2**

Being a famed thief, Tsunayoshi Sawada was well off, even though he was only a fifteen year old with no parents. If one looked at the apartment he lived in, they would think his parents were rich and left him all their money. They would also think it was an apartment of any normal teenager that was left a lot of money by his deceased parents.

From his job as The Shadow Demon, he earned a lot of money since the Mafias were willing to pay so much for his services so he was able to buy a beautiful apartment to live in in Italy. His apartment consisted of a big kitchen, a living room with a white carpet and an off-white leather couch, loveseat, and a recliner chair. They were formed into a three sided square with a coffee table with the middle being glass in the center and the last part of the square being the wall where a flat screen television was mounted on the wall. Behind the loveseat was a lot of empty space since Tsuna had nothing he really wanted to buy. The wall behind it was all made of glass windows with a balcony. Under the television were a few game systems that were unhooked as Tsuna never felt like playing them.

And to think that was just his living room.

There was a beautiful bathroom and two bedrooms still. Though, the second bedroom was just a guest room that was never used since Tsuna never allowed anyone over. If they decided to snoop, they would find his work information and outfit he wore when he was working. That was a NO! He had no idea of what he would do if they found that. After all, this was Italy! Who knew who was involved in the underground society and who wasn't? So he didn't allow anyone over.

Despite being a well-known thief and completely responsible, let it be remembered that Tsunayoshi Sawada was still a fifteen year old boy who hated school and loved sleeping. He was still just a teenager. Maybe it was all because of his job that he was like this. Depending on the job he had, he would either steal in middle of the day (sometimes even leaving school early to do so) or stealing in the dead of night. And stealing in the dead of night left him exhausted so it sucked when it was a school night. So that left him getting his lunch and clothes ready for school the night before so he could have a bit of extra sleep in the morning.

Though, he was normally running late for school anyway. But add to the fact that he had a job the night before, well, let's just say, that in the past few years since he started his career, he has gotten much, much faster. Hasn't learned to just get his butt up in the morning, but he sure has gotten fast. He really should have chosen an apartment closer to his school.

Running a weary hand through his brown gravity defying hair, Tsuna yawned as he stumbled to the bathroom to get some cold water to the face to wake himself up. It was a good thing no one knew who he was or they would have probably found out he is not a morning person. That would be bad if that person hated him.

With cold water to the face, Tsuna found himself waking up some and able to look at himself in the mirror more clearly. His bright brown eyes stared back at him. Somehow, despite all the work he did with the Mafia, they were still full of innocence. Maybe it was because he didn't fully work with the Mafias. He got in, did his job, and got out. He never stuck around for anything else.

Besides the innocent eyes, nothing else about his appearance screamed that he was innocent. On his right cheek was an x shaped scar he got during one of his missions. A mission he did not wish to ever remember. It was one he messed up on and almost got killed. That was totally allowed since he was only twelve on that mission and still starting out. He was small, yet it was his size that allowed him to be really agile and flexible. Despite his size, he was strong and had muscles, though he chose to hide them under his clothes. No point in pointing it out to people. It was like having a neon sign on him saying 'hey look, I am strong so come and attack me'! Though, that was basically what his dying will would do too. Actually, dying will brought a whole new meaning to the neon sign!

Add to that that he sometimes found himself covered in bandages from his late night adventures. He often found himself working hard to keep all the bandages covered so as not to catch the attention of his classmates. It works most of the times, but sometimes he does get caught covered in bandages. It sure was a pain since he couldn't go to hospitals and couldn't show his face in the underground society. This found him treating his own wounds, which was horrible when the wounds were terrible. It hurt a lot. He briefly considered getting a Sun box weapon with healing attributes, but it would be difficult to do. It was hard enough getting his Sky box without drying attention to himself, but maybe that was because Sky flames were incredibly rare.

Since his school wasn't strict, he could wear whatever he desired to school. So he wore a long sleeve black shirt. It was a little baggy, but that was the best way to hide his muscles. He wore tan cargo pants with a black belt. Hidden under his shirt was a chain where there were multiple rings hanging from. Multiple because they were weak and would break easily when he used them for his Sky box which was in his pocket. It was just lucky that they weren't so weak that they broke after he used them once, unless he put too much power into them. He could at least get a few uses out of each of them before they broke into tiny little pieces to never be used again. Each of the rings had a Mammon chain (which were sold in the underground world) wrapped around them so the Millefiore wouldn't track them to him. He doubted they would track such weak rings, but it was a safety precaution. One could never be too careful.

It was chaos in the mornings when he realized that he was running late for school. But this was the type of chaos that he loved. It was safe and peaceful chaos. It was a real relief to him after nights of working and getting chased by angered Mafiosos. Now that was chaos he didn't always enjoy, but he would miss it if it suddenly disappeared from his life. He had grown so accustomed to it that it would feel like a piece of him was missing if it suddenly stopped.

The moment he stepped foot into his classroom, the bell rang causing Tsuna to sigh in relief. He had made it just in time.

"That is the latest you have ever arrived, Tsunayoshi." A sarcastic voice asked.

Tsuna glared at his evil teacher before walking over to his desk. He plopped down into it without a word to the rude man he had for a teacher. He didn't see what it mattered if he was late or not. It was just homeroom.

"Hey Tsunayoshi," A kind voice whispered in his ear when their teacher started roll call.

The young boy turned to look at his neighbor. His neighbor was tall, much taller than Tsuna, though he never paid attention to height. He had slightly spiky black hair and incredibly kind light brown eyes that were always full of happiness, though Tsuna wasn't fooled. This boy couldn't fool him with his act. He wasn't always happy and cheerful. That grin of his sometimes looked too forced, but Tsuna never called him out on it. It wasn't his business to get involved in his affairs. His name was Takeshi Yamamoto, who was sixteen.

Like Tsuna, he was from Japan. In fact, they both came from the same city and school. The only difference is that Tsuna moved here to escape life after his parents were killed (plus most of his jobs involved Mafias and it was easier to be somewhere where they were a lot of Mafias, which Japan didn't have) and Takeshi came here when he was ten, though he never specified why. Tsuna knew it wasn't because of his dad, since he was still alive with his sushi shop in Japan. For some reason, Takeshi stopped playing baseball when he came here. That just screamed suspicious since he loved baseball. As suspicious as it was, Tsuna did not pry. They all had their own secrets.

Tsuna turned his eyes back to the teacher, but whispered back, "What is it, Takeshi?"

"Are you okay?"

Now that caught Tsuna's attention and he had to look at the boy in confusion. "Of course. Why? Do I look like there is something wrong?"

Takeshi shook his head. "No, it's just that you were really later than usual today. I just thought that something might be wrong."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled. "No, there is nothing wrong. I just had a long night. Couldn't sleep, you know?"

Takeshi nodded his head in understanding while Tsuna turned back to the teacher with a sigh. Long night indeed. He spent half the night trying to evade the Diavolo Incubo **[1]** without fighting them. He managed to escape them without fighting, but he didn't come out unscratched. One of his pursuers had a scythe with storm flames which sliced into his arm while he was running. After that, Tsuna had to use his Sky box which was a little lion that he called Natsu. Natsu transformed into a cloak that would nullify attacks. Sometimes Tsuna would have Natsu transform into a cloak and use him on missions, but if he was low on rings, he would only use him in emergencies.

So he spent half the night trying to escape, then he spent an hour stitching his arm up before passing out on the couch. He was just too tried to go to his room. It was lucky he woke up to get to school at all! His only alarm was in his room. Good thing it was loud or he would have stayed on that couch all day.

As it was, maybe it was a bad idea to come to school that day. It was normal for him to fall asleep during class after a late night journey, but his teachers always woke him up by yelling, throwing something as his head, whacking a ruling on his desk. In fact, he thought they were getting quite creative in their ways to wake him up now.

But today, after only five minutes of his first class, he found his head connected with the day. He thought nothing of it when his eyes slid shut with the last thing he saw being Yamamoto staring at him in amusement. All he did was smile a silly smile when darkness took him from his consciousness.

***The Shadow***

"_I'm sorry to hear that." _

_Tsuna opened the door slightly to see what was going on in the living room. There has been arguing going on down here for a while now and his curiosity finally won over his fear. It was surprising to see his mother and father both in the living room talking with a tall man with spiky white hair. Under his right eye was a purple crown that was upside down with three spikes. He had never seen that man before and by the arguing he was hearing, though words he could not make out, they didn't sound like they were friends. _

"_I was so hoping that you would decide to help me. It is too bad, Iemitsu." The white haired guy replied. "Are you sure there is no way to change your mind?"_

"_There isn't." Tsuna's dad said firmly. _

"_Too bad." The white haired man turned away from his parents and motioned to the man that had come with him. "I really hoped to have someone with your strength on my side." _

_It was like his heart stopped when he saw the man suddenly pull out a box and lit his ring with red flames. Just what was this? He has never seen anything like this before. Though he's never seen it before, he immediately knew it was bad. It wasn't just his parents' look of horror, but something inside of him was telling him this was incredibly dangerous. _

_In a flash the man put his flame on one side of the box before pointing it at his parents. Iemitsu immediately stood in front of his wife with his hand diving into his pocket to pull out his own box. _

_It was too late though._

_He had no idea what this was. How the hell could a giant tiger just suddenly appear from a box?_

_Iemitsu went to light his own box with his flame, but the tiger jumped at him before he could. He could have jumped to avoided it, but then his wife would be left unprotected. _

_Tsuna could only stare in horror as blood splattered the walls. He couldn't even bring himself to open his mouth to scream in horror, but his mother could. She was screaming bloody murder while Tsuna could only collapse to his knees in horror as the tiger turned to her. _

_Oh my god._

_What was this? What the hell was this?_

Tsuna shot up from the bed he was on, eyes wide with fear and almost screaming out loud. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't forget that night. He was constantly reminded of those two men that ended his peaceful and oblivious life. When he entered the underground society as a thief he learned just who that man was. The leader of Millefiore was Byakuran. He was the one that cause the death of his parents.

Running a hand through his hair, Tsuna sighed and shook his head to get rid of their faces. He didn't want to remember him. Remembering him was the way to remember his parents being killed by them, and if he remembered that, then he would surely hunt down the Millefiore for revenge. He didn't want to do that. Revenge wasn't in his nature!

"Bad thoughts, bad thoughts," Tsuna grumbled to himself, knocking his fist against his head. "No, not going to happen."

Sighing, Tsuna finally took the moment to look around. To his horror he found himself in the infirmary! He avoided any place with people with a medical license. He couldn't be here! Desperately, he looked down at himself. His shirt was still on so no one knew about his arm wound. Then he checked that he still had his rings and box. When he found them in their correct places, he sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how he got here, but at least no one took his stuff. It meant he was still safe.

Still, it was strange to find himself in the infirmary. He remembered falling asleep in class, but he does that all the time, and never once did he find himself in the infirmary. In fact, he always found himself being woken up quite quickly by irate teacher or a worried Takeshi.

Shrugging it off, Tsuna jumped off the bed and wandered back to his class, hoping that Kyoya Hibari wouldn't catch him out of class. Hibari was an eighteen year old from Japan like him and Takeshi. Despite not being in Japan, he couldn't find it in himself to call the boy by his first name. It was him after all. In Japan, he was the head of his own Disciplinary Committee. And for whatever reason, he moved to Italy when he was twelve. If that wasn't strange enough, his Disciplinary Committee members followed him. Really, what did all of their parents think about this? How could they be that loyal to him?

As a child Tsuna was scared of Hibari, but after all these years he toughened up and could face up to him without fear. That just made him a target for Hibari. He called him a Carnivore and loved to fight with him. Tsuna didn't complain much because it was good training, though he still wished Hibari would stop attacking him at random times or because of some stupid reason.

Quietly, Tsuna slipped in the back door of the classroom so he wouldn't interrupt the teacher and went over to his desk. As he sat down, Takeshi looked at him with a smile before writing something down and tossing it to Tsuna.

_Feeling better?_

_Yeah, I feel more awake at least. Why was I in the infirmary? Usual the teachers just wake me up. _

Tsuna looked up at the teacher that barely noticed his arrival to class. The teacher was facing the board as he was writing a problem down so he took this chance to toss the note to Takeshi. He wasn't exactly friends with the other boy, but they were nice to each other and talked once in a while, though not much since each was busy with their own things.

_Ms. Mina tried to wake you when you fell asleep in science, but you wouldn't wake up no matter how hard she tried. She was worried so she had me take you to the infirmary. You know, you're heavier than you look. _

_Sorry for the trouble. _

_It wasn't any trouble. Though, if you weren't feeling well, you should have stayed home. _

_Not sick. _

_No, but you were really pale and had red eyes when you came in. How much sleep did you get?_

_Good question. Maybe an hour or two. Though I felt really restless even when I was asleep. I felt like I was only half-asleep. _

_So an hour of terrible sleep? It's better to just wake up and get out of bed if that was the case. No sleep is better than that restless sleep. Restless sleep just makes you more tired and your body to feel like lead. _

_Sounds about right. It's so surprising that was able to get myself here on time._

_Barely on time. _

_Still on time. _

_But just barely. _

_Do you really want to argue about this?_

_I'm not arguing. I'm just saying you barely made it on time. _

_What does it matter? I was still on time. _

_It doesn't matter. I'm just pointing out that if you left your house just a second later than you did today, you would have been late. _

_Well, I'm sorry that we don't all have someone to drive us to school in the morning. _

_Would you like a ride in the morning?_

_Now you're just being sarcastic. _

_How did you know I get a ride?_

_It's not just you. You 'Sword freak', 'Octopus-head' Gokudera, the insanely EXTREME 'Turf-head' Ryohei, somewhat childish 'stupid cow' Lambo, that creepy junior 'pineapple head' Mukoro, and surprising the crowd hating 'Skylark' Hibari all come in the same car. What? Do you guys live together in some harem or something?_

Tsuna snickered when he heard Takeshi spluttering at what he wrote. He couldn't face the boy or he would break into a mischievous grin. It was already hard enough to keep from laughing at the boy. Seeing his face would actually make it really hard.

_NO! We do not live in one of those. And how the hell do you know that we all come together __AND__ how do you know all those nicknames? _

_I have my sources. And nicknames? Really? They sound more like you guys are throwing insults around, bad ones at that. _

_Tsunayoshi!_

_It's not hard to figure out. I've spoken to Enma before and since he gets here way before me he said that he constantly sees you guys dropped off together. Unsurprisingly, he said that it is usually Hibari out of the car first and he always gets out from the front seat. Probably less crowded, right? As for the nicknames, you guys are so loud when you are arguing. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school….no…all of Italy knew about those nicknames. _

_I'm not loud. The others are, well not Hibari and Mukoro. They actually express themselves in the way of fighting. I didn't know you were friends with Enma. _

_I'm not. I just talk to him once in a while like I do with you. _

_Oh, well, who are you friends with? I never see you with anyone. You are always off by yourself, even during lunch. _

Tsuna looked at Takeshi with a raised brow. The older boy looked confused and mouthed, "What?" at him.

_Are you stalking me now? There is no other way you could know I'm alone during lunch. _

_I am not stalking you. I have my sources. _

_Hibari?_

_How'd you guess?_

_He's the only one I see during lunch as he loves to spend that time trying to kill me. _

_Come now, Tsunayoshi. He's not trying to kill you. He just likes fighting. _

_No, he likes to bite people to death. _

_True. If Hibari is trying to kill you during lunch, how do you find time to eat?_

_Quite simple. I run, eat quickly, and get ready for the tonfas that are coming for my head. _

_Does that happen every day?_

_Almost, why?_

Tsuna looked over at Takeshi as he tossed the note back and was surprised to see him frowning at something. When the older boy saw him looking, he gave him a smile, though Tsuna could easily tell that it was a fake.

_It's nothing. _

_Whatever. _

Takeshi slid the note into his book so the teacher wouldn't see that he and Tsuna weren't paying attention to the lesson, though it would probably show on their next test.

As the bell rang for lunch, Tsuna stood up, but didn't get to walk away since a boy with silver-grey hair and green eyes stalked up to him. He wore black cargo pants with a silver chain looped between two belt loops to make a 'u'. He also wore a red long sleeve hoodie with a black jacket that was left unbuttoned over it. Most of the time he could be found with a cigarette, though not always lit. Though he was often irritated by those around him, the boy was extremely loyal to those he liked and thought deserved loyalty. His name was Hayato Gokudera, a sixteen, almost seventeen, year old that seemed like a real delinquent. And yet, he was really smart. He was even top of the class.

"Yes Hayato?" Tsuna asked.

Hayato shoved a bunch of papers into Tsuna's hands. "All the notes you missed while you were sleeping and notes for math class which you and Takeshi decided not to pay attention to. Copy them all during lunch and return them."

Tsuna looked from the papers to Hayato, eyes going wide. "All of these? But this will take forever. I won't finish my lunch. I bet I won't even get to eat because of all these notes!"

"Shouldn't have fallen asleep in class then, Tsunayoshi." Hayato said, giving him an amused smirk. Like Takeshi, he was an acquaintance of Tsuna's because apparently, he only made acquaintances, not friends. **[2]**

When Tsuna first moved here at nine years old, he and Hayato had a rocky start. Hayato ran away from home at eight years old and was picked up by someone else, though he refused to tell anyone who was taking care of him now. Because of his past, he didn't trust easily until Tsuna arrived. They got into many arguments because of Hayato's cold and uncaring attitude. It was almost like he didn't care about his own life. That angered Tsuna. After seeing his parents murdered, he thought everyone should value their lives and those who they care for. They got into a fight, which ended with them both greatly injured because of Hayato's dynamite.

Let's just say when they woke up in the hospital, Tsuna got into a huge argument with Hayato about everything which led to a long discussion on philosophy and life. Tsuna never mentioned his past and Hayato never mentioned his. It was a silent agreement between them not to bring it up. That same week, Tsuna got a letter from Hayato's guardian thanking him for helping Hayato to change.

Since that day, Hayato was loyal to Tsuna by helping him whenever he needed, whether it be giving him notes that he missed when he slept in class or missed school or when Tsuna needed help studying. They were acquaintances and nothing more. Tsuna made that clear when Hayato declared to help him whenever he needed it.

That didn't stop the boys from teasing each other when they could. They and Takeshi took any moment they could to tease or insult each other. More often than not, Hayato and Tsuna got into petty arguments with Takeshi trying to get them to stop. Though, if anyone asked, they would swear that they were simply fooling around when they argued, because as Tsuna would declare, he doesn't argue with his acquaintances.

"It's not my fault that class is so boring." Tsuna retorted.

Takeshi laughed. "I have to wonder how you are ranked number two in our class."

"That's only possible because I tutor him. Without me he'd be an utter failure. You have no idea how hard it was to get his grades up." Hayato said, smirking as he ducked to the side to avoid a kick.

"Ma, ma, Tsunayoshi, no fighting in the classroom." Takeshi scolded, grabbing the smaller boy's arms to keep him from getting to Hayato.

Tsuna tilted his head back and batted innocent eyes at the older boy. "But Hayato is being mean."

Redness crept into Takeshi's cheeks as he turned away to avoid looking at the smaller boy. "Don't do that, Tsunayoshi." **[3]**

Honestly confused, Tsuna blinked at him. "Do what?"

"Sometimes I wonder about you," Takeshi mumbled, releasing the boy.

"Huh?"

Hayato snickered from where he was standing by the window on the other side of the classroom. "He means he doesn't understand how you can be so cute and innocent still if you are a fighter as you claim to be."

Tsuna's eye twitched. "Don't call me cute." He snapped. "I'm not cute."

"Awww, is someone's pride hurt?" Takeshi teased.

Crossing his arms, Tsuna turned his head swiftly so he wouldn't have to look at them. "You guys are teaming up on me…..I guess it is fair. That is the only way you two could win at anything."

"Oi! Sawada!" Two boys growled dangerously. "Are you saying I'm weak?"

"In a battle of wits, sure are." Tsuna retorted before hightailing it out of there with the notes he had to copy during lunch. A small smile crossed his lips as he ran out of the school to spend lunch outside. He really was glad he came to Italy. He had a lot more fun here than he ever did in Namimori. Maybe it was because he changed, but it didn't matter. All that matter was that he had fun with his life as a child until he had a job as The Shadow Demon and he had to act like an adult that he wasn't.

**A/N: Just so you all know, I'm thinking about writing a prequel to this story to get a deeper look at what happened from the moment Tsuna's parents died till he reaches high school, which means I would touch more on how Tsuna met Hayato, Takeshi, Lambo, and so on. Tell me what you think of the idea and I will most likely write it because it sounds fun. **

**[1] Diavolo Incubo- Italian for Devil's Nightmare **

**[2] The idea of being acquaintances rather than friends actually comes from my mom who once told me that one of my older brothers said that in high school he didn't have friends, but acquaintances. It amused me greatly. **

**[3] This isn't yaoi. Takeshi wasn't blushing because of a crush. Don't even suggest it. **

**Please Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**A/N: Thanks to EK12, xxxWhite-Wing13xxx, Kanrei, Xj9, Taira-Keimei, ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, Ayz283, Stalker of Reactions, Alice, Ajaxs, and mad31lina for reviewing! **

**I just watched a video that used the Requiem of A Dream song for Katekyo Hitman Reborn and it so helped me with a few ideas for this story! It just makes this so much more fun to write. But, like always with my stories, my ideas need to be modified somewhat to fit with my characters because I change their personalities. It will still be fun though! **

**I was originally planning to update when I finished the next chapter of Most Wanted and posted it…..I don't think that is happening for a while as I have found myself getting more distracted a lot easier than usual. It's been like this for months so I will just update this now. Less of a wait that way.**

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 3**

CRASH!

Resisting the urge to stay locked in his office, which was a testimony to how annoyed he was because his desk was piled high with paperwork which he hated, Giotto, the ninth boss of the Vongola pushed away from his desk. He really expected better from them, but truthfully, he knew this was coming. It's how it always was.

BANG!

His guardians and their apprentices only ever fought with each other. It was internal conflict. Internal conflict that only vanished when enemies threatened Vongola, Vongola's boss, or Vongola's boss's apprentice who did not exist yet as Giotto had yet to find someone worthy to take his place when he decided to retire or gets killed, which he hoped didn't happen for a long while.

Normally the next boss has to be blood related and have the sky flame. The new boss would then choose his own guardians, but that was not how the Vongola worked.

In the Vongola, the ones with the most power and loyalty were the guardians of the Sky: Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Mist, and Cloud. They were only overpowered by the Vongola boss, Sky. All seven of them were chosen by their predecessor. For example, Giotto's right hand man, G., chose Hayato Gokudera to be the new Storm when the time comes. When a new heir is chosen, the predecessor brings the heir to the Vongola where they will live with their new Famiglia and be trained by their predecessor.

When the time comes, they will be presented with the Vongola rings of their element. They will become the new guardians of a set of rings in the Tri-ni-set. It will be their job then to help keep the balance of the world, while also using the power of the rings to protect their Sky and Famiglia.

The six new heirs to the elements have all been chosen. They were all being trained and were now teenagers. Only the Sky heir has yet to be chosen and that was because the Sky flame was so rare. It was rare and very hard to find a worthy heir to the Sky. Until all seven have been gathered and deemed ready, none of them are allowed to inherit. They must all inherit at the same time.

Giotto reached the top of the stairs and looked over the balcony to see into the entrance hall. It was a wreck with the doors blown off the hinges, the floor cracked, pictures knocked from the wall, holes and cracks in the wall, and blood splattering the floor and wall.

In the center of the chaos was Kyoya Hibari, the Cloud heir, and Mukuro Rokudo, the Mist heir. Hibari had a tonfa under Mukuro's chin, while the latter had his trident pointed at Hibari's heart.

Standing around them was Hibari's Disciplinary Committee, who loyally followed their leader to Italy and joined Vongola after he was chosen to be the next Cloud, and Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto, who both joined Vongola with their friend, Mukuro, after their escape from the Estraneo Famiglia when Daemon Spade found himself impressed with Mukuro's abilities. The other guardian heirs stood around trying to get the two to stop, egging them on (not that they needed it), or just watching in a bored manner.

The other heirs were Storm heir, Hayato Gokudera, Sun heir, Ryohei Sasagawa, Lightning heir, Lambo, and (probably the only calm and sane one of the group) the Rain heir, Takeshi Yamamoto.

"Fighting again?" Giotto asked calmly, but on the inside he was annoyed as hell. All these fights led to destruction which led to bills which led to more paperwork for him which angered him. "Why did my guardians have to choose people who were so similar to them for heirs?"

"At least we have heirs." G. commented with a smirk as he walked passed Giotto and down the stairs.

Giotto scowled. "A worthy Sky is hard to find, especially," he shot a glare at all the guardians that were making their way towards the noise and the heirs. "when I can't leave my office because I have all this paperwork because certain people cannot stop fighting."

"If pineapple head stayed away from the Carnivore when I am fighting him," Hibari growled. "He is my prey."

"Kufufu, you cannot stop me from speaking with my dear Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said with a creepy smile.

"Stay out of my fights." Hibari snapped, although it was in a calm voice with an underlying threat.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada again?" Asari, the Rain guardian, asked, smiling in amusement. "The boy who we hear about twenty times a week?"

"I counted thirty," Lampo, the bored Lightning guardian, said.

Takeshi blinked. Did they really mention the younger boy at Vongola Mansion that much? Foregoing that for a moment, the Rain heir turned to Hibari with a frown. "Did you fight with him during lunch today?"

"No, the Carnivore out right refused because he had to copy notes he missed."

"It seems that Hayato unintentionally saved him from a fight." Takeshi commented amused.

"Enough about this boy," G. said with a sigh. "A little tip, if you don't want this boy involved in the Mafia, be sure to never let it be known who you are and never let that boy be seen with you in public. It will make him a target."

Takeshi frowned darkly, looking more serious than ever. "Of course. I'll never allow him to get involved in our world. He's too nice and innocent."

"Hn. That Carnivore can take care of himself." Hibari muttered before jumping over rubble to get out of the entrance hall.

Takeshi sighed. "He thinks I don't know that? Tsunayoshi did live with my father and me for two years when he was still in Japan after his parents died before he disappeared."

"You lived with him for two years, yet he still refuses to call anyone a friend?" Hayato muttered mostly to himself. "I am impressed he managed to avoid being pulled in by you for that long."

***Demon***

"Ah, Shadow Demon! I'm glad you could make it."

Shadow Demon closed the door to the warehouse behind him and approached the technician standing in the middle of the warehouse with a white van with tinted windows on the doors on the back of the vehicle and the two front doors.

"Giannini," Shadow Demon greeted in a low, dark voice that he used when he was acting as the thief. Being a hidden thief for hire, he was careful with his choice of clothing. He wore black dress pants with a black belt that had a red stripe going around the middle of it. The belt buckle was made of metal black and red stripes that crisscrossed all over the place. His upper body was covered with a black long sleeve dress shirt with the top few buttons left undone to reveal a slightly tan chest and a chain with rings on it that were covered with Mammon chains. His hands were covered by metal gloves that were locked around his wrists and looked impossible to get on and off. On his fingers were a few more rings with Mammon chains that he could use quickly if the situation called for it. Besides the gloves, it was a normal outfit until one looked at his face. His eyes and nose were covered by a light red mask that curved like a crescent moon at the top of it, but that didn't keep his eyes from being seen. The eyes were bright brown. What made them really curious though was that they didn't seem to be the eyes of a thief. Sure, they look like they have seen hell, but they still felt warm and kind. No one could tell, but he also wore cover up on his cheek to hide the fact that there was an X scar there. It would be too big of a coincidence for Tsunayoshi Sawada and the Shadow Demon to have the same scar in the same spot. The only parts of his appearance that he gave away was his brown hair that was sleeked back, instead of the usual spiky hair that would give him away, and the fact that he wasn't that tall. He either was a short adult or a teenager, though the idea of a teenager being the fame thief was laughable so no one considered it. All in all, he looked very nicely dressed for a thief, but that was the point. He felt the need to dress nicely since he was dealing with Mafiaosos.

"I trust that you have informed no one of our meeting or that you have not made multiple of these." Shadow Demon murmured.

"Of course not, Mr. Shadow Demon. I value our deal, but I trust you remember this is only a one time thing as I owe you a favor for saving me." Giannini replied, rather bravely in his opinion. This was the Shadow Demon he was talking out against after all. **[1]**

Shadow Demon nodded his head, barely noticing the fact that the mechanic was shaking in his boots. "Then please hand me it and teach me how it works."

"Right away, sir, but before I do so. Are you sure I cannot make these for my Famiglia? It feels like I am betraying them by giving this to a thief." Giannini replied nervously.

"You may not." Shadow Demon said firmly, knowing he was the one in control here. It wasn't that he wanted to force the mechanic to do this or that he had a problem with him creating them for the Vongola Famiglia that he was a part of. He was just worried that he might have to steal from the Vongola one day, and he did not want them to use them against him when he has one for his own use. "You are not betraying them. I work for all Mafias so you are simply helping me with my job like a partner."

"Until you steal from the Vongola." Giannini stated.

"Perhaps, if I am ever asked to do such a thing." Shadow Demon replied before frowning. "Now show me it."

Sighing, Giannini opened the doors to the van to reveal a black and silver bike. Shadow Demon climbed into the van to drag the motorcycle from it before turning to the mechanic once more. "So, how does it work?" He asked interested.

***The Shadow***

It was some of the most fun that Tsuna has ever had. The motorcycle that Giannini made for him was so fast. He loved the speed it went. The wind whipping at his face always felt so pleasant. He just had to be careful that no police saw him. He was only fifteen so he was underage. The good thing about this motorcycle was that it ran on Dying Will Flames so he could refuel it whenever and to keep him safe, Giannini used the invisibility power from Mammon chains to hide the Dying Will from radars that tracked Dying Wills.

He was so glad that he called in that favor Giannini owed him to get this bike. It would make traveling around fast and safer. No longer would he be tracked by those blasted radars when he was trying to do a job. The motorcycle would also him escape faster without having to fight. It was a good thing that he was a quick learn on the bike.

But it was sure a pain to get it hidden. Lucky for him, there was a garage for the apartment next door that he could store it in if he rented it out, which he did.

Rubbing the annoying make up from his cheek, Tsuna collapsed onto the floor in front of his television in the living room and leaned his back against the couch. He flipped the television on to NCIS before dragging his book bag from the couch to the floor so he could get started on all the homework he had to do. Plus, he wanted to look through his phones. Yep, phones. He had two phones. One was for business, but he had to constantly change his phone number for this phone so no one would be able to contact him on an old number or give it to police to track him with. The second was his personal phone. Only a few select people had the privilege of getting this number. And by select people, he simply meant his acquaintances from school should they ever need him. Both of them were I-phones, though the business phone was a metallic red color and the personal phone was a light metallic blue.

Going through the business phone, Tsuna found that he had missed two calls while he was at school and training with his new motorbike. Putting the phone on speaker, Tsuna clicked on the first message left before going through his book bag to get his books out.

"_Hello, Shadow Demon. This is Marizo, the boss of Diavolo Incubo. I know it was you last night who stole the Diavolo Incubo's most powerful Mist ring that has been in this Famiglia for generations. You are involved in this world so I know that you know that ring was supposed to be presented to the top illusionist-in-training at the end of this week for him to be the new master of it. I'll give you one chance to return it. If it is not back here by the end of today, we will hunt you down and kill you._"

Rolling his eyes, Tsuna deleted the message. Honestly, he did feel somewhat bad for stealing from these Famiglias, but he had to make a living somehow and this was the fastest way to make a lot of money. Because of his profession, he got death threats like that a lot so they no longer worked on him, especially when he knew that they couldn't find him.

Besides, one way or another, whatever he stole most of the time got back to the proper owners. Either by him being hired to steal it back (which amused him greatly) or the Famiglias working it out on their own someway, which was by negotiations, attacking each other, or hiring another thief that wasn't as good as him so the guilt never lasted long. Actually, watching all the chaos to get something back was a good way to entertain himself when he got bored, which sounded really bad, but he just couldn't help it. It was generally amusing sometimes.

Clicking on the next message, Tsuna had to shiver at the voice that came through. It was low and creepy. It freaked him out a lot, but there was nothing he could do. This was the voice of his employer for this last job.

"_I have heard that you were successful in your mission last night. I would like my prize soon so call me back immediately so we may set up an exchange._"

Quickly redialing the number for his employer and muting his television, Tsuna put the phone back on the table so he could open his math book to his homework. He had just reached it when his phone stopped ringing.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mr. Kenly. This is Shadow Demon," Tsuna said loud enough for his phone, which was on speaker, could pick up his low, dark voice that belonged to Shadow Demon.

"Damn it, Shadow Demon. Where the hell have you been? I want that Mist ring." Kenly growled.

Tsuna resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Didn't these stupid people that employed him realize that he had a life besides being a thief and other business to attend to? "So sorry, Mr. Kenly. I had a meeting that kept me occupied for quite a few hours. But now that I am free, I am more than willing to assist you with the exchange."

"When and where?" Kenly asked, knowing that Shadow Demon only ever allowed himself to make the decision of exchanges. It was probably because he was paranoid that someone would attack him to kill him or figure out who he was. It wasn't that much a surprise. People would ask for his help when they needed it, but when he had a job that would steal from them, they would immediately hate him and try to kill him until they needed his help again.

"Warehouse 10 in two hours." Tsuna replied immediately, having already decided the exchange earlier today. "Don't be late or I'll return the ring to its proper owner."

Without giving Kenly a chance to reply, Tsuna ended the call and turned his attention to his math book. Oh, how he hated the subject. If it wasn't for Hayato, he would have never figured out how to do math, but he still hated the subject. He preferred history and English.

An hour of working nonstop and Tsuna actually got his math done! Now he just had to go get ready for an exchange, head to said exchange, escape it in one piece, then come home to finish the rest of his homework before passing out on his bed. Sounds good.

In ten minutes Tsuna had his black dress pants, belt, and shirt on. For the time being he didn't tuck his shirt in so he could use it to hide his belt. Then he pulled on a light blue jacket. His gloves and mask were thrown into a bag with a storage box that contained the Mist ring that he stole.

Shouldering the bag, Tsuna left his apartment via the window in his room and climbed down the fire escape. Using an entrance in the alley, Tsuna entered the garage and saw his motorbike sitting where he left it.

Smiling, he hopped onto the bike and grabbed a small remote that was hanging on the handle bar so he could open the garage door. The moment the door was half way up, Tsuna high tailed it out of the garage, not even bothering to pause as he hit the button on the remote as he was leaving to shut the door behind him.

He drove the bike quickly down the road as if he has been driving it for years. He swerved in and outside of traffic. It was a bit reckless and could get him in a lot of trouble if he was caught, which was likely with how he was driving, but he was confident in his ability to escape the police so it didn't really matter to him right now. After all, what person involved in the Underground world would actually let himself be arrested by the police?

Taking a sharp right at the end of the road, Tsuna was surprised to see what he saw in front of him. It wasn't often that he saw so many black cars sitting in the road or so many men in black suits around, unless of course, he was in the process of stealing from their Famiglia. Why they had to be here in his way at such an important time was beyond him? Maybe it was just his rotten luck.

Quickly hitting the breaks, the bike skidded to a halt right in front of a happy blond haired man who was dressed in black pants and a long sleeve white shirt. The older boy blinked at the boy on the bike, who was glaring at him.

"Oh?" The blond haired guy said, staring down at the boy with a smirk. "Aren't you a little young to be driving? Though, I must say that bike is impressive."

"I'm in a hurry so move." Tsuna snapped at him.

"There is a nice way to ask, _little boy_." The man said, emphasizing the last two words as he fully took in how young Tsuna was.

Tsuna raised a brow. "Of course, I could always beat your ass into the ground. Why didn't I think of that first?" He sneered.

"You can't beat me." The man said.

Scoffing, Tsuna revved up his bike. "I would love to stay and prove you wrong, but I'm going to be late if I stay here any longer."

He didn't wait to hear another word from the man. Instead, he swerved around the man and all his men in black suits at a rather high speed. As he was leaving, he couldn't help but hear a chuckle escape the man he was talking to, and shook his head with a small smile. What an interesting guy he was.

***Demon***

The moment he entered the warehouse, Tsuna, having been here enough times to know its layout by memory, moved his motorcycle to a hidden spot so no one would see it. After that, he put on his mask and gloves before sleeking his hair back with some water and gel. He hated doing this, but it worked as a temporary fix to hide his unique spiky hair.

With his disguise finished, he removed his jacket and grabbed the box from his bag and went to the center of the warehouse where he could be spotted the moment his employer stepped through the doors of the warehouse.

Because of his detour with that man, he wasn't as early as he usual was so it wasn't long until he heard the screeching of tires outside the warehouse that signified that his employer was here.

It was time for another trade off.

**A/N: [1] As I mentioned earlier, I am thinking of writing a prequel. Haven't gotten to it because I am so easily distracted at the moment, but if I do, this deal will be explained more thoroughly so don't think about it. **

**Please Review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or the song "Step to Me" by Thousand Foot Krutch or Candide or the song "The World Calling" by There for Tomorrow**

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! **

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 4**

Days passed by.

Weeks passed by.

And nothing in their daily lives has changed.

Tsuna still acted as The Shadow Demon and a student while the heirs to Vongola rings attended school, hung with their acquaintance at said school, and when they got home, trained. Neither person/group knew of the others schedule outside of school, nor were any of them willing to bring it up because they didn't want to have to lie.

At some point, they knew the normal routine would be interrupted by something that caused them trouble. Even knowing that, none of them were expecting the way that the interruption came in.

In the form of a class assignment to build a scene from the book they were reading in literature. They were to work with one other person assigned to them by Mrs. Nariño.

And it would seem that Tsunayoshi and Takeshi were to be partners.

Two boys who refused to let anyone into their homes. Takeshi for obvious reason could not allow Tsunayoshi, who he thought knew nothing of the Underground world, into the Vongola Mansion. Tsuna would not allow Takeshi into his apartment because of fear of him coming across something he shouldn't see. He didn't believe Takeshi to be involved in the Mafia world, but he wasn't sure if the boy could piece it together.

"Why does the sword freak get to work with Tsunayoshi? Why can't I be the partner of Tsunayoshi?" Gokudera grumbled as the three boys were walking out of the school.

Normally Tsunayoshi would leave on his own, but he and Takeshi wanted to get an early start on their project. As such, they were going to go tell the driver to leave without him and he would call later when he needed a ride home.

"Kufufu, what is my little Tsunayoshi doing here? Does he wish for a ride home?"

Tsuna's eye twitched when he heard the familiar laughter. He looked towards the voice to see Mukuro Rokudo, the seventeen year old who was a grade above him, Takeshi, and Hayato. He was about a head taller than Tsunayoshi. Everything about him disturbed Tsuna, but he found himself unable to get the boy to leave him alone. He had blue hair that was in the shape of a pineapple in the view of many people with his hair being longer in the back so it was pulled back into a thin tail. His eyes were different colors with one being blue and the other being red with a number in Japanese in it. Add to that the ever playful and creepy smile he wore, and he was the most efficient person at creeping people out.

His whole outfit screamed he was a punk, a stylish punk that people wanted to avoid. He was dressed in black leather pants with a silver belt. He also wore a white dress shirt with a black tie that he left loose. Besides that, he also wore a black leather jacket, had earrings in his right ear from the helix to the lobule, and wore gloves.

"Hello Mukuro," Tsuna mumbled, not all that happy to see the older boy.

"Kufufufu, you sound upset, my dear Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said as he ruffled the boy's hair because he knew it annoyed him.

Scowling, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair to fix it while shooting a glare at Mukuro, who ignored it as he leaned against the black car waiting for the guardian heirs. "Who wouldn't be upset to see you, pineapple freak?"

Mukuro's brow twitched at the name. "Now really, my dear Tsunayoshi, don't be so rude."

Standing near Mukuro was Ryohei Sasagawa, a seventeen year old in Mukuro's class. Even though he was young, he, for some reason, had white hair. He had bright grey eyes that shined with a lot of enthusiasm and spirit. Like always he was dressed in light sweats (black sweatpants, a yellow shirt, and a white jacket with two black stripes going down each side) since he was a boxer, though he mostly just trained now. He wasn't in the club anymore since he moved to Italy, but continued the training.

"Tsunayoshi, what are you doing here? It is not often we get to see you at this time!" Ryohei asked curiously.

"Takeshi and I have to work on a project so he won't be going home with you guys." Tsuna explained.

"That is EXTREME!" Ryohei replied.

Staring blankly at the boxer, Tsuna could only shake his head. He did not understand Ryohei sometimes. The boxer was just loud and weird a lot. Tsuna sometimes had to wonder where he got all of his energy since just being around him sometimes would tire him out.

Next to the boxer was Lambo. He was the same as always. He just gave Tsuna a bored look as he shook his head in a manner that said to ignore Ryohei.

Chuckling, Takeshi clapped Tsuna's on the back. "We better get going if we want to have time to work on our project today."

Tsuna nodded his head. "We can go to th–"

'_I'm sick of letting you control the places that I go, I'm never giving into you, take,  
>take another look at me and tell me what you see, all of these cats trying to get under my skin<br>but they can't ste–'_

Before he could finish talking, his ringtone interrupted him. Smiling sheepishly at his acquaintances, Tsuna dug through his bag. "Sorry, I need to take this." He mumbled as he walked away from the group while still digging through his bag until he found his red I-phone.

With Tsuna distracted by his phone, Hayato took this opportunity to turn to Takeshi with a serious look. "Remember what G. said about not letting ourselves be seen with Tsunayoshi outside of school, lest he get dragged into our world?"

"I remember, but it can't be helped this time. We have a project. Listen, I'll make sure nothing happens to him while we are working." Takeshi replied, eyes hardened with seriousness that he rarely showed as he looked at Tsuna's back.

As if feeling eyes on him, Tsuna turned his head to the side to look at them for a second before he turned back around, but it was enough for the others to see the annoyed and disgruntled expression he was wearing. He was frowning deeply and speaking angrily into his phone, but it wasn't loud enough for the others to make out the words.

"I wonder what that is about. It's rare to actually see him mad like that." Lambo commented.

***The Shadow***

"Hello?"

"Shadow Demon." A soft voice replied. A voice that was only too familiar to Tsuna. He could never forget this voice.

"Byakuran of the Millefiore." Tsuna growled in reply. "And what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Byakuran chuckled. "There is no need for such an attitude, Shadow Demon."

"How many times must I tell you that I will not work for the Millefiore?" Tsuna snapped.

"That hardly seems fair, Shadow Demon. You work for all the other Mafia Famiglia, no matter their crimes, which means you must have a grudge against Millefiore." Byakuran concluded, making Tsuna scowl in annoyance.

"Think what you like, Byakuran."

"My dear Shadow Demon, I would very much like to work with you. We should meet up and resolve our differences so we may do business together."

"That. Would not be a good idea."

"Oh?"

"I would kill you the moment I laid eyes on you, Byakuran."

"I am not that weak, Shadow."

Tsuna scoffed. "Whatever, Byakuran. I'm busy. Don't call me again." Huffing in annoyance, Tsuna ended the call and practically threw his phone back in his bag. He hated talking to that man. Couldn't he just get the message and stop calling him?

"Hey Tsunayoshi, is everything okay? You seem upset." Takeshi asked when the younger boy came back to them.

Sighing, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. "It's nothing you need to worry about. So, about this project?"

Not believing his acquaintance, but figuring he should drop it for now, Takeshi grinned. "Right, let's go. Where do you want to work on this? Your place?"

Tsuna grimaced. "Sorry, but I don't let anyone into my apartment."

"Awww, not even your acquaintance?" Takeshi asked with a cheeky smile, which Tsuna ignored as the two boys left the school, waving back at the others as they left. "So where are we going to work on it since both of our homes are off-limit?"

"Library for today since all we're doing is picking a scene and deciding how to build it. After that, we'll see if one of our teachers will let us use the classroom after school to work on it." Tsuna replied, trying to keep his annoyance form the phone call hidden.

Seeing as he saw the anger earlier though, Takeshi already knew his acquaintance was not happy so he could detect the well-hidden annoyance in Tsuna's tone. "Now, now, Tsunayoshi, just forget that call. Brooding on it will only make it worse. Forgetting it will make you smile."

"I can't just forget it. It is….important." Tsuna argued.

"Then forget it for now and worry about it later. If you think about it while upset and annoyed, you'll never see the solution." Takeshi retorted. Seeing the distress in those brown eyes, the Rain heir slung an arm around his partner's shoulders. "Personally, I think we should do an easy scene to build. What would be easy?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "The whole book was easy, Takeshi."

Takeshi huffed. "Well, that doesn't help us pick a scene."

***Demon***

Every day after school for a week the two boys would meet and stay after school to use an empty classroom to work on their project. This made it easier for the two boys as neither had to take it home, then lug it back to school the next day to work on it some more as they could just leave it in the classroom.

Even though they worked studiously and acted like friends during the work, there was an underlying tone of tension between the two that appeared on the sixth day of their work.

They began to work on their project like normal. Tsuna was putting the finishing touches on the schoolhouse while Takeshi finished the background. They were building their project in a box so the bottom of it was covered in a dark green fabric for grass and light brown fabric for a dirt road that led to an area where the schoolhouse would be then branched off to lead to the other buildings in the town. The walls were covered in blue cloth for the sky with cotton balls glued together to make clouds. Since the town was surrounded by mountains on all sides, the two boys had built cardboard mountains that they painted.

They still had to build some trees and bushes out of some more fabrics and popsicle sticks which they would glue together to made a thicker trunk and paint brown. After that would be making bushes with the green fabric to glue to the top of the popsicle sticks. Since they were in Eldorado, they were going to get some fake emeralds, rubies, and diamonds from necklaces and bracelets to cover the ground and to have some of the characters that were kids playing with them when the two main characters see them.

The tension in the air was clearly felt by both boys. Takeshi kept glancing at his acquaintance with a worried look. "Tsunayoshi?" He said at last.

Tsuna glanced up from his work, frowning. "What is it, Takeshi?"

"Is something the matter? You've been agitated this whole time." Takeshi asked, frowning as well.

The secret thief hid a grimace by looking back down at the project they were working on. He couldn't very well inform his partner that he was being harassed by a certain boss of a certain mafia Famiglia called the Millefiore. Byakuran just wouldn't take no for an answer. He was really determined to have The Shadow Demon's help in stealing something.

"Don't worry about it, Takeshi." Tsuna murmured after a moment. "It's not something you should concern yourself with."

Takeshi didn't look like he believed that, but who could blame him? He was in the most powerful Mafia Famiglia, the Vongola. If something was troubling his friend, he was sure he could help solve it with all the resources he had.

Just as he was about to argue, Takeshi saw something he desperately hoped to never see when he was with Tsuna.

Even though he appreciated that Takeshi didn't reply to him telling him to butt out, it felt weird the silence that followed so Tsuna looked up, only to see his acquaintance staring out the window in horror. Confused, Tsuna turned to look as well and felt his heart dropped. Millefiore soldiers. Why now? Why? Why did this have to happen when he was with Takeshi? He was putting him in dan…Wait. Even is the Millefiore was on school grounds that shouldn't cause Takeshi to feel scared. He shouldn't even know about the Millefiore. He should have no idea that they are Mafia, unless…..

"Takeshi, do you know who those men are?" Tsuna asked quietly, almost dreading the answer. Would it be a lie or the truth that he received? And which one did he want to get?

Takeshi was now facing a huge dilemma. He could tell Tsuna the truth that he was in the Mafia or he could lie again, but then he would have trouble protecting Tsuna from the Millefiore soldiers. Such a dilemma he was facing. He never wanted to admit the truth to his acquaintance, but he also never wanted to put him in harm's way. All the guardian heirs knew the risk they were putting Tsuna in when they got involved with him. They were just hoping that it never came down to this. Telling him the truth put him in even more danger, but it also allowed Takeshi to be able to protect him properly.

"I'm in the Mafia." Takeshi blurted out before he lost his nerve.

Tsuna stared blankly at him. While he stared blankly, his mind was going into overdrive. For all the years he knew Takeshi and those boys he lived with, he never once suspected that they would have been involved in the Mafia. It just didn't seem possible. Sure, they were a bit crazy. Hayato used dynamite, Ryohei was a crazed boxer, Mukuro just seemed like a delinquent, and Hibari was a tough Prefect. Takeshi and Lambo seemed to be the only normal ones! He's never even seen the last two fight.

It didn't seem logical that they could be involved in the underground world. Hibari liked rules too much. Takeshi was too nice for that world. Lambo seemed a bit too childish to be involved in the dangers of the Mafia. Ryohei was more like a protector then a Mafioso. They were a group of the most unlikely people that he had ever seen. Nothing about them screamed that they were involved in the dangerous world of the Mafia.

"I know it seems unbelievable, but it's true." Takeshi said as he pulled Tsuna down to the ground so they couldn't be seen through the window.

"It's not that I don't believe you. It just seems so unlikely when you look at the group you're in. I mean, Hibari likes rules too much and now you say he is involved in the Mafia, which breaks laws. It just seems so unreal." Tsuna replied, shrugging.

Takeshi couldn't help the small smile he gave. It was just like Tsuna to realize that when he said 'I'm in the mafia,' that he actually meant the whole group he lived with was in it. "Those people out there are part of the Millefiore Famiglia, an enemy of the Famiglia I'm in. I don't know how they found us here, but we have to go now."

"And how do you plan to escape?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"And that is where the problem comes in." Takeshi grumbled. "I don't have my sword on me."

Tsuna stared at the black haired boy. "A sword?" He mouthed in disbelief. He shook the shock off, decided to deal with it later, and frowned. "Don't you have some type of weapon that you carry on you that is small so you won't be caught with it? You can't be completely defenseless." He added, thinking about his own box in his pocket that he would not pull out no matter what. He could not allow Takeshi to know about his involvement.

"There is something," Takeshi said slowly, glancing at the window briefly. "But we like to use them only in extreme circumstances since we can be tracked by friend and foe if we use it."

The brown haired boy nodded. He could understand that. Anyone who used box weapons had to be extremely careful to only use them when in dire need. Otherwise they would be tracked down by their rings which would be revealed when the mammon chains were taken from the rings to use the box weapons.

"So?" He prompted.

"Run," Takeshi suggested.

"Great plan," Tsuna said sarcastically.

Takeshi shot a glare at him. "I don't see you coming up with anything better. Right now, we just need to avoid them."

"Fine. We'll do this your way." Tsuna conceded.

"Thank you. Now follow me." Takeshi replied.

The two boys crawled to the door of the classroom. Takeshi opened it and checked that the hallway was clear before motioning for Tsuna to follow him out. In the hallway, they stood up and made their way quietly down the hall to the stairs.

At the end of the hallway, both boys threw themselves flat against the wall. Since Takeshi was in front, he peeked around the corner to make sure it was clear. Seeing no Millefiore agents around, Takeshi waved Tsuna forward and took off towards the stairs.

Getting to the second floor was the easy part for the two boys. After that was the hard part since once they reached the second floor, they saw Millefiore agents coming up the staircase to get to the second floor. Both parties froze just for a moment when they saw each other. But it was only for a moment before Takeshi snatched Tsuna's wrist and was dragging him along the second floor. They both heard the footsteps chasing after them.

Tsuna risked a glance over his shoulder at the enemy, regretting it a moment later when he yelped in shock and pulled Takeshi to the side to avoid getting hit with a bullet. Why did it have to be guns? He would have very much preferred box weapons over the guns. He could have least deal with Dying Will Flames, guns not so much.

Takeshi didn't even bother with a thanks to Tsuna. He was too concerned with getting away from the Millefiore agents to bother with pleasantries.

Abruptly, Takeshi turned to the right at the end of the hall, still dragging Tsuna along.

The moment they turned the corner though, Takeshi came skidding to a halt, causing Tsuna to slam right into his back. Growling, the shorter boy pushed off his acquaintance's back, ready to snap at him for stopping all of a sudden, but the words died on his lips when he saw the reason why for the sudden stop.

Floating in front of them were two more members of the Millefiore, but they were different from the other members seeing as they were holding Dark Scythe engulfed in storm flames. Tsuna spun around to see the other agents catching up to them.

"And now?" He asked quietly so only Takeshi could hear him. It was so quiet that Takeshi had to strain to hear him.

There was no reply from Takeshi. Instead, he just pulled Tsuna to the side so their backs were facing the windows before he drew a blue box from his pocket and took a chain from one of the rings he was wearing. In an instant, the ring was alit with blue flames and pushed into the blue box. Just in time, the box released water that formed a defensive barrier in front of them that blocked the storm flames that the two Dying Will Flame users fired at them from their Dark Scythes.

"Jump?" Tsuna asked, glancing at the window behind him.

Takeshi nodded his head. "It's an easy jump."

Tsuna ducked down as another bullet zoomed by him. It went through the window with a quiet smash. He didn't wait for these agents to try to shoot him again. He threw the window open and jumped out of it without another thought.

Barely a few seconds later and his feet were slamming into solid ground once more. A moment later Takeshi landed next to him and they both took off running before they could be killed by the Millefiore soldiers.

_To wake up knowing you've got the day /To take on without feeling okay/ To make yourself unwilling to sleep away/ Sleep away the– _

Tsuna shot Takeshi a look. It was such a good thing they weren't trying to hide from the soldiers, otherwise their position would have just been compromised.

Takeshi ignored him in favor of pulling his phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the caller ID briefly before answering it, while still running away. He and Tsuna were heading to the school gates to get off school grounds.

"Hayato, not the best time."

"I don't care if you're busy with your project, Sword Freak. The Ninth demands you return to the mansion now. We have an important dinner meeting today."

"Great," Takeshi snapped, patient running thin. "That's great, but I can't make it."

"The Ninth wo–"

"The Millefiore is chasing Tsunayoshi and I." Takeshi interrupted bluntly.

"WHAT?"

Tsuna winced a bit when he heard Hayato yelling. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Takeshi since that was yelled directly in his ear.

"Where are you? I'll come and help you right away." Hayato said urgently.

"No." Takeshi snarled, glancing at Tsuna who had taken the lead the moment they got off school ground. "No. It's too dangerous. We can't use our box weapons unless we absolutely need to."

"How did they even find out about you?" Hayato demanded.

"Don't know. Discuss later. We're trying to lose them at the moment." Takeshi said as he followed Tsuna down an alley.

At the Vongola mansion, Hayato was clenching his phone very tightly in his hand. He couldn't believe this was happening. They were so careful about keeping it hidden that they were involved in the Mafia to keep their classmates, especially Tsuna, safe. And now, somehow, it was all falling apart. Takeshi couldn't handle this alone. He didn't have his sword and couldn't risk using his box weapons and rings much because he would be tracked.

"I'm calling Reborn." Hayato said suddenly and before Takeshi could object, he hung up and redialed a familiar number. He waited impatiently for the ringing to stop and for the hitman to pick up.

The moment the phone clicked to signal the ringing was done, Hayato started talking before Reborn had the chance to say anything. "Reborn, there is trouble. I need your help."

"Hayato, I'm bus so you better explain quickly." Reborn's voice said abruptly.

"Takeshi is with a civilian that is an acquaintance of ours and they are being chased by Millefiore agents. I don't understand the situation completely, but Takeshi can't take care of it by himself. He doesn't want me to show myself so–"

"You want me to get them out of this situation quickly." Reborn finished. "Easy enough if I knew where they were."

"They were at our school working on a project. After that, I'm not sure." Hayato explained. There was no reply except for the annoying buzzing that came when a phone call was cut off. Sighing, he put his phone away, hoping that Reborn got there fast enough.

**A/N: I chose Candide cause it was a book I read in English and had to build a scene from the story as well. **

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman **

**A/N: Thanks to KitsuneNaru, xxOMGgalxx, KuraiArcoiris, Writing Contradictions, Mad3lina, Narutopokefan, loveless23, xxxWhite-Wing13xxx, RebornSawadaTsunayoshi1827, pokermaniac039, Guest, ****ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, Xj9, and xXHalfPrinceXx ****for reviewing!**

**A/N: Woot! Got this chapter done quickly. I was going to update this sooner, but then I forgot. I only remembered now because I just finished making my brownies, cause someone went and ate my cookies (grr), and remembered this chapter when I sat down to take a break. Hahaha, I've been quite forgetful lately. I blame my forgetful friend for passing her forgetfulness onto me. I actually also forgot this story because I got an idea for another short story for Reborn. It was supposed to be a one shot, but the more I work on it, the more it develops into a few chapter story. So, because of that idea that I want to work on more, I'm not sure how long it will take me to update this story again. Just so you know.**

**Hope you like the chapter!**

**Oh, and sorry for any mistakes in this chapter. I'm pretty sure that I proofread it the other day, but I might not have. But I think I did…..see, the forgetfulness is here…Enjoy. **

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 5**

Tsuna was irritated.

Irritated beyond belief.

These lackeys from the Millefiore were small fry to him. He could have easily taken them out or escaped from them but he was with Takeshi! Already his acquaintance has admitted his involvement in a Mafia Famiglia. He would not fall to that level. For now, he would let his friend think he had nothing to do with the underground world. No one was allowed to find out about him. No one.

Which is why he was stuck in this situation with Takeshi. He couldn't draw his box weapon. He couldn't use his Dying Will. All he had was his martial arts if he didn't want to reveal himself, and that against Millefiore Mafiosos that had box weapons was not the best weapon if he wanted to survive.

Reveal himself and survive or keep who he is a secret and hope for the best in this situation.

And if that argument going on in his head wasn't enough, he still couldn't figure out how the Millefiore found them. No one knew he was the Shadow Demon. No one knew he had connections to the underground world. He only used his rings and boxes when it was for his thieving work. So there was no possible way that they knew about him.

And Takeshi.

Tsuna glanced at the boy who was crouching behind some garbage cans next to him. They had decided to take a break from their run by hiding so they could catch their breathe.

It made no sense really. From the way Takeshi and the others acted, they kept it a secret that they were in the mafia. They were also very careful about it. Tsuna never saw them make one mistake in their secret being kept. They usual had their rings hidden someone on them so Tsuna or anyone never saw them. Takeshi only put the rings on earlier after he saw the Millefiore show up. If he wasn't a part of the underground world he would have been incredibly confused as to why he did that.

Takeshi wasn't faring any better next to him. His hand was in his pocket, clenched tightly over the box that he had there. He didn't want to use it, but would if he had to. Though, he was hoping not to use the more powerful boxes with Tsuna around. He didn't want him freaking out on him, even though he never really saw the boy freak out. Well, actually, he did see him freak out a few times after his parents were murdered, but that was when they were kids.

Every now and then he would glance over the trash cans to see if anyone had shown up. So far, he hasn't seen any of the members of the Millefiore. He could only hope that they lost them in the alleys, but he wasn't holding much to that hope.

Sighing, he looked at Tsuna, who was looking at the opposite end of the alley for the enemy and felt a twinge of guilt. It was all his fault that he got dragged into the mess that was the Mafia. He thought that choosing to work on their project at school would keep them hidden, even though it was supposed to be not known that he was part of the Vongola Famiglia. Which was also troubling the Rain Guardian heir. He was supposed to be unknown, just some kid at school. The Millefiore wasn't supposed to know that he was in the Vongola, so why were they attacking? How did they find him?

"Let's move." Tsuna said.

Takeshi nodded in agreement. He didn't like to stay in one place for too long when he was being chased. It made him slightly paranoid because his enemy could sneak up on him at any moment.

Once again, Tsuna took the lead. Being a thief, he knew the alleys like the back of his hand. They were a great use to him when he was trying to escape bad situations.

"Where are we going?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"Nowhere if we did lose them." Tsuna replied.

"And if we haven't lost them?" Takeshi asked.

Tsuna shrugged. "Lose them."

A low chuckle was the only response that Tsuna got, but it made him freeze nonetheless. He's heard his acquaintance laugh many times. That was not how Takeshi laughed. Takeshi's laugh was warm and deep. It always made him want to laugh as well.

Both teenagers looked up to see two floating men in front of them.

"Again with the scythes," Tsuna grumbled when he saw they already had them out. He had to admit, though. It was way better than dealing with the gun wielders. "Takeshi?"

Takeshi grimaced. "Behind us, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna glanced behind him to see more soldiers advancing on them, box weapons in hand. _'Great, just great. So the best chance we have is if Takeshi takes out his box weapons now.' _

It seemed that Takeshi was thinking the same thing as him because he suddenly jumped at Tsuna and wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulder in a half hug. "Sorry for troubling you like this." He whispered in Tsuna's ear before letting go and stepping forward.

Faster than most of the soldiers could follow, Takeshi had pulled out another box weapon. When he went to light one of his rings with his flame, he paused for a moment when he noticed that he forgot to replace the ring with his mammon chain. It was probably because Hayato had called him right after he jumped from the window. No wonder they were found.

He didn't dwell on that fact though. There was no time to deal with his regrets at the moment. His ring became engulfed with his Rain flames which he pushed into the entry on the box. He held it in front of him as it shot open and a swallow shot from it. The swallow flew in a circle around the two teenagers.

Takeshi took the box he used earlier out and put more flames into it before pointing it at the group behind them. The water surged out of the box to build a barrier that would keep the attacks, and, hopefully Tsuna thought, the attackers back.

A moment later there was rain pouring down over Takeshi and Tsuna. The former cried in dismay, but the latter didn't look the least bit affected. "It's a camouflage, Tsunayoshi. You'll be fine." He said instead as he grabbed his acquaintance's hand and pulled him along, right passed the two floating storm flame users. They didn't even bat an eye at the two teenage boys rushing away. Instead, they were looking around for where the two disappeared too.

"Interesting," Tsuna commented. He has seen many box weapons, but never one that actually camouflaged them. Now he really was curious as to what other box weapons Takeshi had. Maybe he could get him to tell him later.

As they were passing another alley that led to a street, Tsuna saw something that made him grin. "Takeshi, keep the camouflage up for a bit longer. I just found how we're going to escape, but I need the camouflage to keep hidden while I get it ready."

Looking curious, Takeshi followed Tsuna to see what had him so excited. He was surprised to find him stop next to a motorcycle. His first thought at the sight of the motorcycle was what insane person would leave their ride in an alley. His second thought was what the hell was Tsuna doing when he saw the brown haired boy messing with wires on the bike.

As if reading his thought, Tsuna looked up and grinned at him. "I'm hotwiring it. We need to move and fast. What better way than a motorcycle?"

"Do you even know how to drive one of those things?" Takeshi asked in disbelief.

"Course. I wouldn't drive it if I didn't know how to. Otherwise," Tsuna paused for a moment to mess with the wires for the final touch. The motorcycle suddenly roared with life. "It'd be dangerous, you know?" He continued, still grinning like mad and patting the bike. "It's got a nice sound to it."

Takeshi laughed. "Tsunayoshi, you're not even old enough to drive!"

"So?" Tsuna shot back. "You're in the Mafia! The underground society and you're trying to reprimand me for stealing a bike and driving underage."

Takeshi started laughing so hard that he fell to his knees. "No! That's not it, my friend!" Because he was laughing so hard, the swordsman didn't see Tsuna freeze at the word friend. "I'm just shocked that you would do something like this! It so isn't like you! I never expected you to do anything illegal! And here we all thought you were much too innocent to do something like that!"

Tsuna regained his composure before Takeshi could notice anything. If he was a Mafioso, he would be trained to be observant. It was just lucky for him that the boy was too busy laughing to notice anything right away.

"Get on the bike," Tsuna said instead as he climbed on the bike first.

Once he gained control of his laughter, Takeshi returned his swallow and his water barrier to their boxes and climbed onto the bike behind his acquaintance. He took ahold of Tsuna's waist. The moment he had grabbed hold of him, Tsuna took off down the alley without a word.

At the end of the alley, Takeshi decided that Tsuna was indeed insane as he took the turn at the end of the alley without slowing down at all! In fact, he thought that he just went faster. But he did have to admit that it seemed he had great control of the motorcycle.

Like an expert, Tsuna maneuvered between all the cars on the road. He swerved from side to side to get passed every car that was in front of them.

The longer he was on the motorcycle with Tsuna, the more that Takeshi realized his friend was completely insane and belonged in an insane asylum! Again, this thought was reinforced when at a red light, Tsuna bypassed all the cars that stopped for the red light like good law-abiding citizens. Once he got passed the stopped cars, he went right into the intersection where there were cars turning or going straight.

Now, Takeshi was a Mafioso. He was trained as a swordsman, trained to be the future Rain Guardian, trained to fight and protect his future boss when he was found. He has dealt with many crazy antics of his comrades and friends. He has been in many crazy situations so something like maniac driving should be nothing to him.

But, the problem was, it was TSUNA! He didn't know anything about Tsuna's skills on a motorcycle or that he was insane enough to try something like this. It had him close to freaking out. He didn't want to be killed and there was no way he could use his box weapons in public like this. All he had was the trust he was putting into Tsuna to know what he was doing and get them out of this alive.

Takeshi was shocked at how easily Tsuna got them through that left turn without getting anyone harmed. He maneuvered around all the cars that were moving with ease and made it so that when they slammed on their breaks that they did it in a way that they wouldn't crash into anyone else. Now he really had to wonder how he did that.

"Tsunayoshi, you are crazy!" Takeshi shouted over the engine.

In front, Tsuna grinned. "It's the craziness that saves us! Besides, anything but crazy is boring."

Takeshi laughed, laughed so hard that he had to wrap his arms more securely around Tsuna's waist so he wouldn't fall off. He buried his face in the driver's back to keep his laughter quiet. Tsuna shook his head, but was wearing a fond smile.

"Pull yourself together, Takeshi!" Tsuna shouted, though the grin could be heard in his voice. "We have enemies after us."

Stifling his laughter, Takeshi became serious. He sat up straight and twisted a little in his seat so he could look behind them to see if they had any of their enemies following them. When he saw no Millefiore agents, he smiled a bit. "I think we're safe, Tsunayoshi."

"You think?" Tsuna retorted before taking a sharp turn down into another alley.

The sudden turn caused Takeshi to whip his head back to the front and to tighten his grip on Tsuna once more. He didn't say anything though so he just glanced back over his shoulder, paling when he saw they were being followed by Millefiore soldiers on motorcycles. His first thought was, HOW? His second thought was, he was so glad Hayato decided to call Reborn without his consent and hoped that the hitman found them fast.

And now it was a high speed chase through the backstreets.

This gave Takeshi the chance to see even more of Tsuna's skill on a motorcycle. He easily avoided all trash cans, bags, wooden boards, and anything that would get in his way. The way that he knew exactly which way to turn and how they never hit dead ends told Takeshi that Tsuna clearly knew the backstreets well. He must have spent a lot of time in them.

Though he figured this out, he wasn't given much time to do so as they did have enemies chasing them all over the place. He glanced over his shoulder again to see how far the enemy was behind. Though that was is reason, he cursed silently to himself when he saw the three homing disks engulfed in storm flames that were chasing them. He should have been more prepared to face such weapons when he realized they were being chased.

He shifted slightly so he could hold onto Tsuna with one hand and use his other hand to reach into his pocket to pull out his water box weapon. Once again, he wrapped both arms around Tsuna's waist when he got his box out. He secured his grip on the box and lit his ring with his rain flames. He fed the box the flames, then maneuvered his arms quickly so one hand was holding Tsuna's jacket, while the other was pointed behind him as the box burst open and the water barrier once more came out to protect them from the homing disks.

"This is ridiculous." Tsuna snarled, turning down another alley quickly. "They had a whole army waiting for us."

"There has to be something we're missing." Takeshi replied calmly as he wrapped his arm back around Tsuna's waist. "This is way too extreme for them to just be after a Mafioso like me."

Tsuna grimaced. Takeshi did have a valid point there. Could they be after someone else then? Say the Shadow Demon? But it just didn't seem possible. No one could possibly figure him out. He was too careful. He kept himself hidden too well. They couldn't possibly figure out that he was the famed thief…..could they? It was Byakuran he was against after all. He was smart and evil. He would find a way to find him.

Because of his momentarily distraction, Tsuna suddenly found himself heading straight into a wall. Eyes widening slightly, he slammed his foot on the ground and forced the bike to spin until he was facing the Millefiore Mafiosos. He took his foot off the ground, revved the bike up, and sped right at them.

'_Yep, definitely insane.' _Takeshi decided when he saw what Tsuna was doing. _'At least it's not boring with him around.' _

Tsuna knew that he was doing something incredibly stupid, but he would not get trapped between a wall and a bunch of idiots from the Millefiore. He would not lose to them! He was the Shadow Demon! This was not how he was going to go down.

The Millefiore Mafiosos were smirking when Tsuna turned to charge them. They were thinking that they had won. They could easily catch the two brats with them coming straight at them. If only they knew who they were messing with…..

It was lucky for Tsuna that the water barrier was still in place. Otherwise he and Takeshi would have be down the minute he forced the motorcycle to turn around. He noticed the glints in their eyes when Tsuna charged at them. They were preparing to capture them, but there was no way he would like them.

Right before he was about to be swarmed by them, Tsuna very lightly tapped into his Dying Will. So lightly that it wouldn't be noticed by any of them hopefully. With his Dying Will free slightly, Tsuna pulled the bike up just enough so that they could jump right over the Millefiore agents' heads. He heard Takeshi gasp in shock by the move.

Takeshi was more than shock when Tsuna found a way to just suddenly jump over the heads of the Millefiore agents. He looked down at them from the sky to see them staring at the two boys in utter disbelief. He didn't blame them. What Tsuna did shouldn't have even been possible. Just how did Tsuna do something like this? Was he really skilled enough to pull a jump like that off with nothing or was he hiding something?

The bike slammed onto the ground behind the Millefiore agents. It was a rocky landing since Tsuna canceled his Dying Will mode in the air so it wouldn't become noticeable. Getting control of the bike after such a drop was a bit difficult, but he managed it. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, but was relieved to see that Takeshi had taken control of his water barrier to keep it behind them.

"Tsunayoshi, where are you taking us?" Takeshi demanded as Tsuna turned down yet another alley.

Tsuna didn't reply. Instead, he turned sharply at the end of the alley to reveal warehouses. This time, though, Tsuna turned too sharply and lost control of the bike. It fell onto its side, skidding across the ground, as the two boys flew from it and landed in a heap.

Groaning, Takeshi sat up and watched as the bike slammed into a couple of barrels near one of the warehouses. To his horror, the bike and barrels exploded, lighting up the evening sky. That was just as bad as a neon sign to announce where they were!

Takeshi flew to his feet and called his water barrier back to its box. "Tsunayoshi, we have to go now."

When the boy didn't respond, Takeshi took his eyes away from the alley they just came flying out of to look at him. To his horror, he found him to be unconscious with a cut starting at his forehead and going down to his cheek, bleeding freely.

"Oh, no. Don't you do this to me." Takeshi growled, dropping down next to Tsuna to check his pulse. Even though it only took a moment for him to feel the pulse, it was still very anxious for him to wait for it. He never felt more relieved then he did when he found the pulse. "Good, good, Tsunayoshi. Hold in there."

"Well, well, look at this. It seems the brats have crashed." A mocking voice said behind him.

Takeshi clenched his eyes shut. How could he have been so stupid as to forget his surroundings?

Oh, he knows! Tsuna was more important than his own well-being. All that matter was making sure he was alive and safe.

Takeshi stood up and turned to face the Mafiosos from Millefiore. They were getting off their motorcycles or landing on the ground. He did have to admit those Dying Will Flame Boots were amazing, though he would never use them. He did a quick count and found that there were fifteen Mafiosos altogether. This was a really difficult situation. Not only was he alone, but he also didn't have a sword and had no way to keep his unconscious acquaintance safe.

He looked at the man who spoke. He was a giant man that towered greatly over him. His black hair was worn in a spiky Mohawk. There was a malicious, mocking grin on his face as he looked down at Takeshi. He recognized the man as Dendro Chilum, a lightening flame user.

Takeshi slipped a hand in his pocket to clench his boxes tightly. He hated that he couldn't take his sword to school. If only he could, then he would have some way to protect himself and Tsuna. "What do you want?" He demanded, glaring at the man and hoping to buy himself some time.

"It's what our boss wants." Chilum replied, eyes moving to the unconscious boy behind Takeshi.

When Takeshi followed his eyes, he paled in horror. Why would Byakuran want Tsuna? He had nothing to do with the Mafia. He was just an innocent bystander in all of this. "You can tell your boss to forget it then!" Takeshi snapped at him, glare hardening.

"You're not in any position to deny us what we came for." Chilum said, smirking.

Takeshi frowned. The man was right. Without his sword, he could only defend with his box weapons. His offense moves with his box weapons required him to have his sword.

But still, he couldn't just hand Tsuna over. He would never forgive himself if he did something like that. All his friends would kill him too if he did that. Tsuna was more important to them then their lives and pride, though of course half of them would never admit that. That was not the point though! The point was that he would die before he let those bastards touch Tsuna!

"I'll die before I let you take him." Takeshi growled. He spun around and quickly picked up Tsuna bridal style. He clutched him protectively against his chest as he turned back around to face the amused Millefiore agents.

"That will not be hard to do." One of the soldiers sneered.

Takeshi glared at him. As the man took a step forward, a sudden BANG resounded throughout the area. In front of the man who tried to take a step was a smoking hole in the ground.

"Are you sure about that?" A voice interrupted them.

While the Millefiore agents looked for the voice in confusion, Takeshi smirked in satisfaction. He turned in the direction of the voice to see a tall man dressed in black suit. His eyes were shielded by a black fedora which had a yellow stripe going around it. In his hand was a green gun, which was still being pointed at the Mafiosos.

With the hitman was a spiky blond hair man dressed in an army outfit and headband. His bright blue eyes took in the situation with a frown. On his back was his ungraded rifle while he was holding his other rifle. He turned to the Millefiore Mafiosos with a dark smirk. "You have managed to interrupt our work, and for that, we are not happy."

Takeshi grimaced. He would feel bad for the Mafiosos in front of him, but they were after Tsuna so he couldn't feel bad for them. To interrupt the work of the Arcobaleno was like a death sentence. **[1] **No one was spared when their work was interrupted by something or someone.

Chilum snorted. "Two against fifteen? You two have no chance."

Takeshi rolled his eyes. "You obviously have no idea of who you are against if you are saying things like that."

Chilum shot him a look of loathing. He didn't get to say anything though because one of the storm flame users suddenly released his homing disks onto Takeshi once more.

Eyes widening, Takeshi dropped to his knees and covered Tsuna's body the best he could. He didn't have time to grab his water barrier box from his pocket and open it while at the same time protecting Tsuna so all he could do now was make sure that Tsuna didn't get hurt anymore.

There was no point in worrying though.

Before the disks could even come close to harming him, the man in the army outfit had his rifle pointed at them. "Maximum Burst!" He said calmly as his rifle suddenly glowed with blue flames quickly before they were shot out in the shape of a bird at the homing disks. That one shot was enough to destroy every disks, even though they were all coming at Takeshi from different angles.

When he heard the explosion, Takeshi risked a glance up to see the homing disks falling from a smoking sky in pieces and clattering around him. No matter how many times he saw the Arcobaleno fight, he was still amazed by their skill. They really were amazingly strong.

"My homing disks!"

"You'll pa–"

"Chaos shot." The man in the suit said.

Takeshi chuckled nervously. They obviously didn't have the patience to deal with them today.

From the hitman's gun came a burst of sparkling sun flames that spilt up into multiple thin sun-arrows that went for each Mafioso. They did attempt to defend themselves, but it was futile against Reborn's attack. The whole area was filled with smoke and the sound of explosions.

Takeshi coughed slightly as the smoke filled his lungs, but he didn't care. He just pushed himself to his feet and waited for the smoke to clear to see what had happened to those that were attacking him and Tsuna. He had a feeling that Reborn had no mercy on his enemy today.

And he was right.

The sight in front of him when the smoke cleared was a mess. The Mafiosos were lying on the ground, broken and bleeding. Some of them were probably even dead. Their motorcycles were in pieces all over the pieces. A few of them were buried under motorcycle pieces. There were also a few parts of the motorcycles that were on fire from being blown up.

"Weak," Reborn said as his gun transformed back into his partner, Leon.

"Thanks, Reborn, Colonnello." Takeshi said.

Colonnello grinned in response, but Reborn frowned at him, causing Takeshi to grimace. "You could have handled that without our interference."

"I don't have my sword." Takeshi protested.

"And why not? You should always be prepared." Reborn said harshly.

"I can't take it to school." Takeshi said.

Reborn frowned. "Better find a way to get it to school then. This can happen again." He glanced at the bodies with a dark frown. "How did they find you?"

Takeshi grimaced and glanced at Tsuna. "They weren't after me."

Reborn and Colonnello both snapped their eyes to the brunette that Takeshi was holding. "Who is your friend?" Colonnello demanded.

"Acquaintance," Takeshi corrected.

"What?"

"He doesn't make friends, he said. So we are simply acquaintances." Takeshi explained.

Colonnello smirked in amusement. "Sounds interesting. We'll talk more when we get back to the mansion."

Takeshi frowned. "You want to take him back to Vongola Mansion? Isn't that too dangerous? I never told him what mafia I'm in, just that I'm a Mafioso. And even then, I only told him today!"

"If the Millefiore is after him, then there is something wrong with him and he obviously never told you what that was. We can't just let him roam around by himself." Reborn said.

The Rain Guardian heir looked down at the boy in his arms, frowning deeply. He looked so frail when he was unconscious and bleeding. "You think they want to use him as a weapon."

"Why else would they be after someone?" Colonnello replied.

"He wasn't supposed to get involved. We were trying to keep him from this world." Takeshi said regretfully.

Reborn ignored him in favor of checking the bodies to see if any of them were alive. He would need someone to interrogate to figure out what was going on with the Millefiore and why they were after a kid. There was no way he was going to allow the Millefiore to win this war.

**A/N: [1] I am calling them Arcobaleno as they will be a powerful group that is involved with the Vongola Famiglia, but they aren't babies or have the pacifiers. They are just very powerful. They will be explained more later on. **

**I didn't have Colonnello say 'Kora' at the end of his sentences because they are in Italy so they are obviously speaking Italian and I wasn't sure if he said it as an adult. **

**You guys have no idea how many times I accidentally put Tsuna instead of Tsunayoshi and friend instead of acquaintance in these past couple of chapters. It was so difficult to write it the right way. **

**Please Review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman **

**A/N: Thank to xXHalfPrinceXx, Wolferunning123, blacklightningwolf, Guest 1, Guest 2, TheYoungStrega1999, xxOMGgalxx, Chi-tanda, Shanagi95, Hopelesslyhope, ArcobalenoCanvas, ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, Pokermaniac039, Herbblood, Loveless23, Kanrei, Breathless02, KuraiArcoiris, Ayz283, Narutopokefan, TsunaHibari1827, KitsuneNaru, Guest 3, Xj9, Mad3lina, sUSHI SHI, RawR, scarlet rose white, Guest 3, BOOMSHAKALAKA, for reviewing! **

**Woooow! That is a lot of names! Thank you all for reviewing! I'm glad you all like the story so much. When I first started this story, it was just for fun. I never thought it would be this popular. I am glad you all like it as much as me. **

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking in Italian"

"_Talking in Japanese"_

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 6**

This could possibly be one of the worst experiences that Takeshi ever found himself in, and once more, he was a Mafioso! But to him, any situation that gets Tsuna dragged into the underground life was a horrible experience.

He was in a black car that had tinted black windows with Reborn driving (at least his driving wasn't insane like Tsuna's). Colonnello was in the passenger's seat but was turned around to keep an eye on the Millefiore Mafioso that Reborn found alive. He was tried up and thrown to the floor. Lucky for them, he was still unconscious. Takeshi was sitting behind Colonnello with Tsuna lying on the seats with his head in his lap. His head was turned to side so he could get to the injury on his face. Blood was pouring out like a faucet. He had already used his jacket and Tsuna's to get the blood flow to stop. Since it wasn't stopping, he was hoping to clot the wound with dry blood. **[1]**

"How's your friend?" Colonnello asked, a bit concerned as he watched Takeshi toss away Tsuna's blood soaked jacket.

Takeshi grimaced. "It looks pretty deep and won't stop bleeding. I'm worried that he might have a concussion. And we're not friends, acquaintances."

The blonde haired Arcobaleno was silent for a moment before he suddenly threw his jacket into a surprised Takeshi's face. "Use that. It will hopefully be enough until we get to Vongola mansion." He explained when the Rain guardian heir got the jacket off his face. "And, you might as well just call the boy your friend. It's obvious you care for him as much as one."

Takeshi chose not to reply. He just looked down at his acquaintance, pressing the jacket into his wound as hard as he dared. What Colonnello said made sense, but it was not that simple. It was Tsuna's wish to not have friends for whatever reason. None of the guardian heirs could deny him that. He was too stubborn for his own good. So the guardians respected his wish, but since he interested them, they became his acquaintances since that was as close as he would let anyone to him. The guardians wished to be friends, but again, he was too stubborn to accept that. Takeshi was curious as to why that was, but Tsuna would never tell him. Was it trust issues or something more?

Colonnello sighed when Takeshi ignored him. "Takeshi, you need to prepare yourself. The Millefiore is after your fri–acquaintance for some reason. This is going to cause everything between you to change, for better or worse, who knows?"

Once again, Takeshi ignored him. He knew that everything was about to change. The moment he saw the Millefiore look at Tsuna as their target, he knew that nothing was going to be the same. Tsuna, the most precious person to the guardian heirs, was in danger. He was now involved in the underground world. Or was he always involved in it? How else could the Millefiore know about him? The only way was for him to have been involved it from the start.

That very thought caused a grimace to appear on Takeshi's face. He didn't even want to think about his small, innocent friend ever being involved in the underground world. It just didn't seem possible.

"What will you do?" Colonnello asked, frowning. "You are devoted to this acquaintance of yours, but you also got to think of the Vongola."

Takeshi blinked and looked up at him. "A choice between Vongola and Tsunayoshi?" He frowned. "That is…."

"Goes to show how much you are devoted to this boy." Reborn interrupted, glancing in the rearview mirror at the black haired boy.

Takeshi's frown darkened as he turned his gaze to Reborn. "You think I would betray the Vongola for Tsunayoshi?"

"Are you saying you wouldn't?" Colonnello retorted. "For someone that you only call an acquaintance, you are really loyal to him."

"I've known him since I was five. I only started to get close to him when I was seven. I've known him longer than I have been a part of the Vongola Famiglia. Of course he is important to me." Takeshi argued, glancing back down at his unconscious acquaintance. His hand that wasn't pressing the jacket to Tsuna's wound tensed slightly as it gripped the back of Tsuna's head. It was a horrible choice to make: Vongola or Tsunayoshi. He just hoped the choice never had to be made.

Unbeknown to him, Colonnello and Reborn had shared a very quick look. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Even though the choice seemed difficult to Takeshi, they both know that he would help Tsunayoshi in a heartbeat if he needed it, even if it went against the Vongola. He just didn't realize it because the moment hasn't come up.

"We're here." Reborn declared not much later as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the Vongola Mansion.

Takeshi looked up in surprise. He hadn't even realized they entered the forest as the Vongola Mansion was in the middle of it. If one didn't know where the mansion was in the forest, they would most definitely get lost. If they were lucky, they would stumble upon the mansion, but then they would have to get passed the wall, then there was the matter of security and traps. It would be difficult for anyone to survive an unauthorized trip through Vongola ground.

Takeshi gathered Tsuna up in his arms after opening the door. He looked over his shoulder to see Colonnello dragging their still unconscious prisoner from the car. Reborn walked ahead of them and threw the doors to the mansion opened.

And it was just Takeshi's luck to see Hayato, of all people, walking up the stairs to pause when he heard the doors being thrown open. He spun around on his heels, box weapon already at the ready, but stopped when he saw who it was. Though, the relieved look left his eyes when he saw Takeshi carrying someone. He couldn't tell who it was because he had…..was that Colonnello's jacket being used to cover the person's face and soak up that blood? Hayato was now completely surprised and worried.

"Who is that?" Hayato asked in a deadly calm voice.

Takeshi grimaced a bit, but approached Hayato nonetheless. When he was close enough, the Storm heir gently peeled the bloody jacket from the face of the boy, already having an idea of who it was, but was desperately hoping he was wrong.

When Hayato saw the pale face of Tsunayoshi, he saw red, literally and figuratively. If it wasn't for Takeshi holding the boy, he would have punched him right in the face. "What the hell happened? You were supposed to protect him." Hayato snarled angrily, taking the smaller boy from Takeshi seeing as the Rain heir couldn't properly protect him.

"There was only so much I could do without my sword, and this," Takeshi waved at Tsuna's face. "Was not my fault. The motorcycle he was driving crashed!"

For a moment, Hayato's anger dissipated to be replaced by curiosity. "Motorcycle? He was driving a motorcycle?"

"I'll explain later," Takeshi replied hurriedly, glancing as Tsuna. "We need to get his wound looked at and explain what is going on to Giotto." **[2]**

Hayato sensed a deeper meaning to those wounds, but didn't press his friend for information. Right now, Tsunayoshi was more important than information as they were all safe at the moment.

***The Shadow***

"So let me see if I understand this," Giotto said once Takeshi finished explaining what happened when he was at school. "This favorite acquaintance that you all have," He glanced at all the guardian heirs that were standing in line near the dining room table. His own guardians, except for Knuckle, were sitting at the table, watching the heirs with varying emotions from curiosity to anxiousness to uncaring. Reborn and Colonnello were both sitting at the table as well, wanting to get the full story of what happened since they only knew from when they appeared in the battle. "Tsunayoshi Sawada, the boy who we hear about all the time, that you all swore to keep out of the Mafia may actually be involved in the underground world already as the Millefiore admitted to you that they were after Sawada?"

Takeshi nodded. "That is right, Giotto, sir."

"And you told him you are in the Mafia, showed him box weapons, used them in front of him, ran from Millefiore soldiers, Sawada stole a motorcycle, drove it illegally, you went with him which makes you an accessory to this crime, you crashed at the warehouses, Sawada got injured from the crash, Reborn and Colonnello saved you by killing most of the Mafiosos, then you decided to bring back a Millefiore agent to interrogate and Sawada because he got hurt and you think it would be safer even though you promised not to get him involved in all this." Giotto clarified, staring at the Rain heir with a thoughtful frown, but other than that, betraying nothing of what he was feeling about the situation.

"Yes sir. That is what happened." Takeshi replied, avoiding the gazes of his friends/fellow heirs. They were all upset to hear about Tsuna's injury and the fact that he was in danger, though Kyoya and Mukuro didn't show it at all. He was too, but they felt he was partly responsible for the crash, even though it wasn't his fault at all. He felt guilty enough as it was.

"Why?" Lambo asked the question on all their minds. "Why is the Millefiore after Tsunayoshi?"

"That is something you will have to ask your friend." Giotto replied.

"Acquaintance," Takeshi, Gokudera, Ryohei, and Lambo corrected.

Before Giotto could reply, Knuckle entered the dining room, frowning. "I understand that you would like to know why the Millefiore is after your," He glanced at the guardian heirs, seemingly amused by their stubbornness on this matter. "Acquaintance, but there is a problem with that."

"Is there something with Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro asked dangerously.

Takeshi looked at him warily.

Knuckle, though, looked unconcerned with the tone. "He has woken up, but it seems he has a concussion, which has caused amnesia in him." Before any of the guardian heirs could interrupt, the Sun Guardian hurried on. "I don't believe it is too bad, but I do not know him personally. Since you all know him, you need to talk with him and see how much he remembers."

***Demon***

Knuckle looked down at the brown haired boy that was lying in a guest room in Vongola Mansion. It looked like the big bed covered in silk covers was swallowing the small body up. The left side of his face was covered in a lot of blood with more appearing. Colonnello's jacket was thrown to the floor. He figured it would be set on fire later. He didn't see any way to save it now.

To begin taking care of the boy, who he was informed was the famed acquaintance of the heirs, Tsunayoshi Sawada, Knuckle started gently washing the wound and the dry blood away. The water in the basin on the nightstand starting to turn red from all the blood he was washing away.

Once the wound was cleaned, Knuckle was relieved to see that the wound wasn't as bad as it seemed so he could easily heal it. Tsuna's face shined with bright sun flames as the cut on his face slowly started to close up.

With the gash healed up, Knuckle started to clean away the rest of the dry blood. As he was doing so, brown eyes slowly opened. Upon seeing the man, who looked like a priest, standing above him that was washing his face, he blinked in confusion. His eyes being opened must have alerted him because the priest stopped what he was doing and gave him a small smile.

"I see you are awake." Knuckle said kindly, putting his washcloth back in the basin.

Tsuna gave a small nod of his head. "Where am I?"

Knuckle hesitated for a moment before replying, "Vongola Mansion."

Somewhere in Tsuna's mind the words 'Vongola Mansion' caused panic and worry. What was he doing in such a powerful Mafia's mansion? How did he even get here? They hadn't found out who he was, did they?

But when he looked around and found himself in a comfortable bed in a bedroom he found something to be strange. He looked back at the priest with a frown. "Why am I here?"

"You and Takeshi were attacked by Millefiore so you were brought back here by Reborn and Colonnello after they saved you." Knuckles explained briefly.

'_Attack…? I don't recall ever being attacked by the Millefiore.' _

The confusion must have shown in his eyes because Knuckle suddenly frowned. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Tsunayoshi…..do you mind if I call you that?" Knuckle asked as he lightly touched Tsuna's head where there was a faint scar from his earlier wound.

"No."

Knuckle nodded and was silence for a moment when he found the bump on Tsuna's forehead. "Tsunayoshi, I believe you might have a little bit of short term memory loss. Since I do not know you, I cannot help you determine how bad your memory loss is. I will ask Takeshi or one of the others to come talk to you."

"Others?" Tsuna asked confused. What others? Was he with someone else besides Takeshi when he was attacked? How stupid could he be? He wasn't supposed to be with his acquaintances outside of school for this exact reason! Just being with him put them all in danger!

"I'll be back in a little while. For now, just rest, Tsunayoshi." Knuckle told him before leaving the room.

As Tsuna watched the door close, he wondered what he should do. It was dangerous for him to stay in the Vongola Mansion. What if he had somehow revealed he was the Shadow Demon in the event that caused him to lose his memory? But then, what about Takeshi and whoever else he was with? He couldn't just leave them here while he escaped. They had no part in the underground world. It was all his fault that they got dragged into this world.

Still, was keeping his secret more important than his acquaintances? If he was found out, he would be in a lot of danger, but so were his acquaintances. They weren't a part of this world. Who knows how much danger they could be in because of him?

If that was the case, maybe he should leave. He could just be putting his acquaintances in more danger by staying here with them.

Tsuna sat up, but did so too quickly because in the next moment he had his hands cradling his head. Pain was flashing through his head. That priest had said that he had short term memory loss, so he most likely had a concussion. What was he thinking when he sat up? Of course pain was going to flare in his head if he did something like shooting up.

That was the position he was found in when the bedroom door flew open and Takeshi came charging in to skid to a halt next to the bed. "Tsunayoshi," He cried in relief.

Stifling a groan at the pain that flared in his head once more from the door slamming open, Tsuna lifted his head to look at Takeshi. _"Hi Take-kun,"_ He murmured, reverting back to Japanese without realizing it.

The Rain heir blinked in confusion for a moment before smiling. Tsuna had never once talked to any of his acquaintances with a nickname. He preferred to use their full names. To hear a nickname for him from Tsuna, he couldn't help but have his heart filled with joy, even if the name mostly just came from him not feeling too well. Maybe Reborn and Colonnello were right. Maybe they could be friends with Tsuna. _"Hey Tsunayoshi. How are you?"_

Tsuna gave him a grimace. _"Fine mostly, just have a killer headache. What happened? Who else was with us when we got attacked?" _He asked worriedly.

Takeshi laughed lightly and quietly so as to not hurt Tsuna's head even more. _"No one. It was just the two us. Why did you think there would be more than us?"_

Confusion shined brightly in Tsuna's eyes. _"Well, that priest man said he would have you or one of the others come talk to me to see how many memories I lost. It confused me as to why he said that. I don't know anyone in the mafia." _

Takeshi was amazed at what he was hearing. He had just admitted to Tsuna a few hours ago that he and the others were in the mafia. And now because of a freak accident, he had forgotten all of that. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that Tsuna no longer remembered or distressed. If he didn't know that they were involved, it would make the whole situation with the Millefiore after him a lot more difficult to handle. On the other hand, he was glad that Tsuna didn't have to remember the dark world or the fact that his acquaintances were involved in it.

"_Take-kun," _Tsuna said hesitantly.

"_Tsunayoshi, what is the last thing you remember?" _Takeshi interrupted sharply.

Tsuna frowned as he tried to remember the day he just had. _"We had class today. It was an eventful school day because Hayato got into an argument with Mr. Nazel in the middle of math. He ended up jumping onto a desk and yelling. Then Kyoya showed up because of the disturbance. He tried to beat Hayato to death, but he ran out to the hallway with Kyoya following. Explosions followed because I think he brought out his dynamite to fight him." _

The reminder of that day caused Takeshi to sweatdrop. There was no doubt in his mind to what day that was. It was pretty hard to forget that day. _"Okay, that was two months ago. So you only forgot two months. That's not too bad." _

"_I think forgetting anything is bad." _Tsuna muttered.

"_Of course." _

Tsuna leaned back against the headboard with a thoughtful look. _"Takeshi." _Just hearing his full name told Takeshi that Tsuna was beginning to think clearly once more. _"What happened when we were attacked?"_

The Shadow Demon was now the one acting alert. He pushed who he was, Tsunayoshi Sawada, aside for a moment. He had to know what happened during the attack. Was the attack because of who he was? Was the fact that he was the Shadow Demon now known? There wasn't a single move that he could make without knowing what his acquaintances and enemies knew about him. If he made one move without the proper knowledge, it could end in a lot of trouble for him.

The question wasn't a surprise to Takeshi, but he wished it hadn't come so soon. He wasn't sure of what he should tell Tsunayoshi yet. Should he remind him that he was part of the mafia or leave that part out? There was much that he didn't understand, like why the Millefiore was after Tsuna. If they were after Tsuna, then did that mean he had a role in the underground world? If that was true, then maybe it was safer if Tsuna didn't know about him and the other guardian heirs.

"_Takeshi?" _Tsuna said when the Rain heir didn't explain.

"_Sorry, Tsunayoshi. I was lost in thought." _Takeshi gave the brown haired boy an apologetic grin. _"We were at school, working on our English project when Millefiore agents showed up. When we saw their guns, we ran from the school. They ended up chasing us for some reason. We ran into the back streets. At one point you saw a motorcycle and hotwired it so we could escape on it. Or that was the plan. Apparently there were Millefiore Mafiosos waiting for us because we ended up getting chased by them on motorcycles through the backstreets until we hit the warehouses. There, you crashed the motorcycle and got your injury which knocked you out. The Millefiore caught up to us. I was all ready to die to protect you because I discovered from them that they were after you for some reason, but before they could attack us, Reborn and Colonnello showed up and saved us. They were the ones to bring us here." _

Tsuna nodded his head as the story was finished. It didn't seem like there was any way for them to discover his secret in that story. And if they tried to ask him about why the Millefiore was after him, he would just say he didn't know, which was in fact, very true, considering his amnesia. As for hotwiring a motorcycle and driving it, that was completely new to him. When did he learn to drive one of those things?

Takeshi was looking at Tsuna with a guarded look. He was hoping that he didn't realize anything was missing in the story. He only left the fact that he was a Mafioso and his box weapons out of the attack so there shouldn't be any reason for Tsuna to be suspicious, but this was Tsunayoshi he was talking about. He was always observant, but he was hoping the amnesia would stall him.

Unbeknown to Takeshi, Tsuna had more important matters to deal with. He was more concerned with finding any holes in the story that would reveal that he was the Shadow Demon. That was all he was looking for. For once, he was ignoring all the other worries he had so all they worry he had would go to his secret. Not a single thought went to the holes that could tell him something was missing and finding out the secrets of Takeshi and his other acquaintances.

"_What do you want, Tsunayoshi?" _Takeshi asked after a few minutes of silence in which Tsuna kept glancing around the room.

"_I want my memories back and I want to go home." _Tsuna replied.

The answer, obviously, caused some worry for Takeshi. He didn't want Tsuna to leave the protection of Vongola mansion when he had the Millefiore after him, but Tsuna just seemed to, like always, disregard his own safety. So if Tsuna wouldn't protect himself, then the Vongola or the guardian heirs would have to protect him.

"_Can we leave?" _Tsuna asked.

'_Damn, forgot he doesn't remember I'm in the mafia.'_ Takeshi thought, a bit frustrated. _"Actually, Tsunayoshi, I'm not sure. It's the decision of the boss of Vongola. He seems like a nice fellow so everything will work out fine." _

Tsuna stared at Takeshi in disbelief. Nice fellow? Since when were there nice Mafia bosses? This was the mafia! No one was nice in the underground world. What was going on in Takeshi's head?

"_Tsunayoshi?"_

"_I'm not staying here." _Tsuna hissed. _"I don't want anything to do with the Vongola Famiglia." _

Those words instantly put Takeshi on alert. Not staying here? Just what was Tsunayoshi planning? Didn't he realize how dangerous the Mafia was? He knew that the boy was good, but even he couldn't escape from the Vongola, could he?

**A/N: [1] I forgot to mention how bad the head wound was in the last chapter…..I really should have remembered to mention all the blood pouring out of it last chapter since I just had a head injury a month and a half ago. I learned firsthand how much blood comes from head wounds. I did end up bloodying 6 towels and a pillow case at that hotel. Stupid hotel for having a water park! Made even more fun cause I was on a trip with my classmates. Traumatized them! Yeah! (I didn't care I got hurt. Great story to tell people and an interesting experience. I had classmates amazed that I wasn't crying or complaining. Some even called me a beast. *snicker* Ironic too since I'm the level-headed and closest to being sane one of my group of friends and always tells the others to stop before they get hurt…..maybe that's what my one friend meant when he said he couldn't believe I was the one to get hurt….just took over a month to figure that one out.) Can't believe I forgot that fact. I use my experiences/jokes/conversations/etc. or the experiences/etc. of others around me as I watch them cause they are friends and family for my stories. **

**[2] I know it would be more formal for Giotto to be called Nono, but it just didn't feel right to call him that so we'll just say that the Guardians and Guardian heirs are close enough to their boss to call him Giotto. **

**I had thought about changing this chapter so Tsuna didn't have amnesia, but then, while I was making cookies cause I have an obsession with baking for no reason, I thought of an amazing idea to do with how he get his memories back. It should be a lot of fun…..and it means I don't have to rewrite this chapter. **

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn **

**A/N: Thanks to fatesmask, xXHalfPrinceXx, mangopudding, Guest 1, shanagi95, Kingyo, xxOMGgalxx, Kanrei, loveless23, Guest 2, Chi-tanda, Mad3lina, Soul Vrazy, TsunaHibari1827, scarlet rose white, sUSHI SHI SHI SH, Guest 3, Reije, Guest 4, ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, and Ayz283 for reviewing! **

**The Shadow Demon **

"Talking in Italian"

"_Speaking in Japanese"_

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 7**

Takeshi closed the door behind him as he left the guest room Tsunayoshi was staying in. He sighed before looking up at the other guardian heirs that were waiting in the hall. They were all there except Mukuro, who was probably around but hiding with his illusions, and Kyoya, who hated crowded of all sorts so he obviously wouldn't be here.

"So?" Hayato demanded.

"He's only forgotten the past two months, which also means he remembers nothing of me saying that we were in the Mafia. I didn't remind him of it either so he just thinks he and I are guests here because Reborn and Colonnello saved us which means he can't see any of you. He'll get suspicious if he sees you in the mansion." Takeshi explained.

"Why didn't you remind him that we are in the Mafia?" Lambo asked curiously.

The Rain heir shrugged. "I just thought it would be best if he didn't know at the moment. He didn't question it either why a Mafia Famiglia would save us either. He was distracted by something, I believe."

Hayato rolled his eyes. "Distracted? Of course he was distracted, sword freak! He has a freaking concussion! His head was probably killing him. Who can focus with that?"

"That's not what I meant." Takeshi said calmly, glancing back at the bedroom door than back at Hayato before he started walking away. The others started following him, getting the message that they were beginning to get too loud and Tsuna might hear them. "It wasn't the headache that had his attention. I'm not sure what it was. And that isn't the biggest issue at the moment."

Ryohei frowned. "Is there something EXTREMELY wrong?"

"He doesn't want to stay here. I'm afraid he's going to try to find a way to escape the mansion and end up getting hurt. And we can't stop him because you guys can't be seen and I can't try to stop him from leaving since I'm supposed to act like a guest here as well." Takeshi explained.

"So we have to avoid letting Tsunayoshi see us while keeping him from leaving and getting hunted down by the Millefiore." Lambo clarified, frowning. "That sounds impossible."

Takeshi nodded, stopping at the end of the hallway. "That's why we aren't getting involved. We're going to talk to Giotto about this."

***The Shadow* **

On the other side of the mansion, Giotto was sitting in his office with Colonnello and Reborn, two of the Arcobaleno, standing in front of his desk. All of them were completely serious. The Vongola boss leaned back in his chair, frowning as he thought.

"Is there a problem, Giotto?" Colonnello asked.

"I just have a bad feeling about this Tsunayoshi Sawada." Giotto replied.

Reborn raised an elegant brow. "Do you think he is dangerous?"

Giotto shook his head slowly. "No. It's not that type of bad feeling. There is something about Sawada that can't be trusted."

"Besides the fact that the Millefiore is after him for unknown reasons?" Reborn asked, taking a seat on the couch in front of Giotto's desk.

***Demon***

SMASH!

THUD!

A low groaning came next.

Sharp grey eyes stared uncaringly at the pitiful figure below him. The moment the Millefiore agent that Reborn and Colonnello brought in woke up, he strode down to the "torture chambers," as they were dubbed, before anyone could stop him and before Alaude could take his prey from him.

The man that was dragged to Vongola Mansion by the Arcobaleno was sitting in a metal chair, wrists chained to the armrests of it. Kyoya had come into the room, slammed the door shut, and slammed a tonfa into the man's chest before knocking the chair over with a loud thud.

It seemed that the Millefiore agent did not like the idea of being knocked down like that by a brat as he was glaring at Kyoya. "What the hell do you think you are doing, brat?" He snarled.

Kyoya stared at him coldly. He put his foot on one of the legs of the chair and pushed down on it until the chair was righted. With the chair righted, the Prefect walked to the other side of the table, crossed his arms, and stared at the man, who glared back angrily.

It was all a test to Kyoya to see how much this man could handle before he cracked and had to break the staring contest. He wanted to know how far he could go with him before it went too far and killed him. In truth, he wasn't worried if the man died because he was part of the group that chased his prey, Tsunayoshi Sawada, but he needed him alive because he needed information on the Millefiore and why they were after the brunette.

It turns out the man wasn't very strong, in Kyoya's opinion, since he only lasted five minutes before he had look away from his gaze. With that knowledge, Kyoya walked over to the security camera in the room near the roof and smashed it into pieces with a tonfa, instead of the easy route which was to simply unplug it. He felt the Millefiore agent's nervous eyes on him the whole time, causing him to smirk already.

He was going to get his answers.

***The Shadow***

Giotto stared at Reborn and Colonnello silently. Both of them were a part of the Arcobaleno, a special group inside of the Vongola. The Arcobaleno consisted of the eight strongest people in the world. There were only supposed to be seven, one for each type of flame, but the Rain Flame ended up being shared. The eight strongest were the Sky Flame user, Aria (it was her mother Luce but she died early on), the Sun Flame user, Reborn, the Storm Flame user, Fon, the Lightning Flame user, Verde, the Rain Flame users, Colonnello and Lal Mirch **[1]**, the Cloud Flame user, Skull, and the Mist Flame user, Mammon.

They were all the strongest of the Vongola. The strongest of the eight of them was Reborn though. Along with being the strongest, they were also some of the most loyal members of the Vongola. Everything they did was for the good of the Famiglia. Along with being very loyal and trustworthy, they were very helpful with keeping the members of the Famiglia in line and advising the boss when he needed it as they were also very smart, along with being powerful.

As such, Giotto knew that he could talk to them about any problem he was having and not have them go spreading the information around the Famiglia. Which was a great blessing to him. Sometimes his Famiglia was very good at blowing everything out of proportion. At times when information was being spread around like that, he felt as if he was playing the game 'Telephone.' **[2]**

His guardians were just as loyal as the Arcobalenos, but there were times when he couldn't advise with them, like if they were away on a mission or if the situation was best to be discussed with someone outside his guardians.

Upon noticing that their boss was a bit distracted, Colonnello gave him his full attention once more. "Is something wrong, Giotto?"

At first the Vongola boss didn't reply, still thinking about everything that happened today. He recalled Takeshi saying that he was prepared to die to keep Sawada from being taken by the Millefiore. Hell, he even broke the rule about not letting anyone know he was in the Mafia to keep Sawada safe. Then there was the fact that he showed the boy box weapons. Just how far would he go to keep that boy safe?

"What do you believe they would do if a situation ever arrived where the choice was between Sawada and Vongola?" Giotto asked finally, staring at both Colonnello and Reborn with a thoughtful frown.

"In a heartbeat," Colonnello said, glancing at Reborn then back to the Vongola boss. "They would choose Tsunayoshi."

Giotto sighed in disappointment. "So the Vongola Famiglia that trained them and helped raise them is that easy for them to betray for someone they only consider an acquaintance."

"No, that is not it." Reborn interrupted, drawing the attention of Colonnello and Giotto to him. "The heirs that your guardians have chosen are loyal and trustworthy. They love the Vongola and believe in it. They would never betray it, but there was one mistake you have made that will allow them to betray it and you."

The boss of the Vongola raised a brow. He didn't realize he made a mistake when the heirs were brought in to be trained. They all seemed so happy to be here, to have this family. "And that mistake is?"

"It is not their intention to betray the Vongola Famiglia, but when it comes down to it, they are tied more closely with Tsunayoshi. Do you know why that is?" Reborn asked, staring into Giotto's orange eyes. "It's because you have never given them anything to tie them to the Vongola. They don't have a boss to tie them here. Without their boss, they feel free to do what they wish. You may be the current boss, Giotto, but you are not the boss they are meant to serve and they know it. You need to find your heir now. Your heir will tie them to the Vongola. Their boss will be the center of their world and they would never be able to betray the Vongola then."

"I know I need to find an heir," Giotto snapped back in frustration. People kept telling him to find an heir over and over again. Why didn't they understand that he already knew that, but it was difficult to find a good heir who also had the Sky Flame.

***Demon***

In his room, Tsunayoshi was rolled on his side, staring at the bedroom door. Takeshi had left a while ago to do something. He wished to go with him, but the black haired boy told him it was better for him to stay in bed and rest. Tsuna had agreed because his head was killing him when he tried to sit up and get out of bed. Because of the major headache he had, he decided that if it wasn't gone by tonight, he would stay at Vongola Mansion for one night, but no more than that. He had a duty on the Shadow Demon after all. He couldn't be resting for days because of one headache.

Still, he had had to wonder about Takeshi. The boy wasn't part of the Mafia, yet he was so calm and composed when he was in the mansion of the biggest and most powerful Mafia Famiglia. Then again, this was Takeshi he was talking about. The boy was always calm and composed.

But still, this was the Mafia! He didn't care if they did save him and Takeshi and healed him. The Mafia was dangerous. He may deal with the Underground World as the Shadow Demon, but he never wanted to be inside a Mafia's headquarters unless he was doing his job. Being in one as a guest and being treated by them was not his idea of an ideal night, especially when he was stressing over his secret being found out by them.

A knock at his door snapped him out of his thoughts. He took a moment to calm his heart. Just being in the Vongola's Mansion was worrying him. But to have people just knocking at the door was causing him great worry. He didn't want to deal with all these Mafiosos when he wasn't at full strength.

But just to be careful, he checked his pocket for his box weapon and checked that he had his necklace with all his rings on it. When he was done with that, he looked back at the door that was still closed. "Come in." He called, a bit amazed that the person waited for him to reply. Since this wasn't his house or room, he just expected the person to think that he could just walk right on in.

Then the door opened and to his surprise, it wasn't a male that was coming in. It was a woman that could probably pass as an angel with how beautiful and sweet she looked. She had a very gentle face and bright, emerald green eyes that truly looked like gems with how much they shined. The only thing Tsuna could see in her eyes was kindness and care. Her long, blonde hair was wavy and tied back in a braid, except for her bangs which covered her forehead. She wore a long light purple dress that went down to her ankles with the sleeves of it stopping a few inches before her wrists. Around her neck was a light purple ribbon which was tied into a bow with the extra ribbon flowing down. On her right wrist was a simple white cloth bracelet. To complete the outfit, she wore white high heel sandals.

"Good evening."

Even her voice was very sweet and soft.

This woman caused Tsuna's thoughts to cease. Everything about this woman's appearance and voice screamed that she wasn't dangerous. How could she be in a mafia Famiglia, the Vongola no less? Tsuna just couldn't comprehend it.

"My name is Elena." The woman told him.

Tsuna blinked and refocused on the woman. Before, he was so distracted by her beauty that he didn't notice that she was carrying a tray with a plate of food and a glass on it. "Oh, my name is Tsunayoshi Sawada. Nice to meet you, Ms. Elena."

Elena chuckled softly as she put the tray down on the nightstand. "It is Mrs. Elena, Mr. Sawada. I am married."

Tsuna blinked, but grinned all the same. "But of course you are. I would be quite shock if someone as beautiful as you was still single. And you may call me Tsunayoshi."

"Well, Tsunayoshi, you seem to be quite the charmer." Elena replied, smiling at him. "I've brought you some food, a drink, and from Knuckle, some medicine to help with that dreadful headache you have."

"How did he know about my headache?" Tsuna asked suspiciously, glancing around the room worriedly.

"He's a doctor, of sorts." Elena replied, and at Tsuna's confused look, she elaborated. "He doesn't have a license as a doctor, but he works with injuries a lot and studies often about injuries he hasn't dealt with a lot. Now," She clapped her hands and looked down at Tsuna with a smile. "Do you need my help sitting up or can you do it yourself?"

"I'm fine." Tsuna replied. He rolled himself onto his back and slowly sat up so as not to cause ringing pain to flare in his head again. When he was sitting up, Elena adjusted the pillows so he could lean back on them. "Thanks, Mrs. Elena."

Elena chuckled. "You can just call me Elena, Tsunayoshi. No need to be so polite."

Tsuna smiled a little as Elena put the bed tray over his lap. "Thank you, and may I inquire as to who the lucky man is?"

Laughing, Elena nodded. "Daemon Spade."

'_Daemon Spade?'_ Tsuna looked up from his food, a bit surprised, but looked back down quickly so Elena wouldn't see it. _'She married the Mist Guardian? The pineapple haired freak? Huh, now that I think about it. He and Mukuro share the same type of hair style. Strange.' _

"Is something the matter?"

Tsuna shook his head. Forcing a smile in place, he lifted his head and looked at the woman. "Everything's fine. Thank you for the meal."

Elena nodded. "When you have finished eating, take two of those pills for your headache. I'll return later for the tray."

Tsuna nodded his head, watching her leave. When the door closed behind her, he returned to his food with new thoughts circling in his head. Daemon Spade and Knuckle already. Two of the Guardians of the Vongola leader, Giotto. He knew all about the guardians and the leader of Vongola. He did his research on them. Apparently there were six guardians of the Vongola leader. All of them had their own Dying Will Flame. There was the Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Cloud, and Mist. At the center of them was the Sky, which was Giotto. Apparently they were all looking for an heir to take their place some day. He had no idea of who the heirs were though. That was so top secret that it wasn't in any of the files the Vongola had. Truthfully, he didn't care all that much. He rarely had dealing with the Vongola. No one wanted to steal anything from the Vongola, nor did the Vongola ever require his services. And that was the way he liked it.

The Vongola was not a Famiglia that even the famed Shadow Demon wanted to mess with. They were powerful and dangerous. He didn't even know where their mansion was. Maybe when he gets out of here, he can figure out where it is. He doubted he'll ever have to come back to it, but it was still good to know, just in case. Anything could happen in the future.

***The Shadow***

"Give him the medicine?"

Elena looked to the side at Daemon, who appeared to her from his illusions at the end of the hallway. She nodded her head. "Yes, he has the medicine. Don't you think it is a bit much though? He seems like a nice kid. I don't think you need to knock him out."

"It's a trick that will only work once." Daemon shrugged, smiling at her. "But the little heirs are afraid he might try to escape the mansion. Something about hating the Mafia. So they pleaded with Giotto for us to keep him safe and in the mansion."

"But to knock him out?" Elena said doubtfully. "That seems to be going a bit too far. It might upset him."

"If the Millefiore is after that kid, it has to be because he's strong. He can handle the game." Daemon replied.

"Oh, now it's a game?" Elena asked, raising a brow.

Daemon smiled and kissed his wife's cheek. "Always, love."

Back in the bedroom, Tsuna just briefly glanced at the medicine bottle before taking two pills out. He didn't take pills often so he didn't understand what type of medicine this was, but it would work well enough.

If he was a fool.

Like hell he was taking medicine given to him by a Mafia Famiglia. What the hell did they take him for?

"Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna jerked on the bed in surprised and looked at the bedroom door where Takeshi was standing, grinning at him. "Ah, I see that you got your medicine. You should take that soon for that nasty headache."

Tsuna looked at the pills in his hands before putting them on the bed tray. "Takeshi–"

"I know you don't like the Mafia, Tsunayoshi, but I think we should stay here until they let us leave. You don't want to anger them by sneaking out, do you?" Takeshi replied, approaching the bed with a frown. "Just bear with it that we are here for the time being. Tomorrow, you can be up and about, kay? This place is huge and quite amazing, though we have to be careful not to go places we're not allowed."

'_No! No, we don't! I'm not staying here. What don't you understand about that, Takeshi? I don't care about angering the Vongola. Just let me go to my apartment and continue my life of being a thief.'_ Tsuna cried in his head.

"Tsunayoshi? Tsunayoshi! OI, Tsunayoshi!"

Tsuna blinked and whacked Takeshi's hand out of his face. "What are you doing?"

Takeshi shrugged. "You spaced out." He glanced at the pills sitting on the bed table. "You should take those now."

Scowling, Tsuna looked at the pills. Why did everyone want to force those stupid pills on him? There was something strange about them, but Takeshi didn't know that. He really trusted those Mafiosos too much.

As if reading his mind, Takeshi laughed. "Tsunayoshi, I think if they wanted to kill you, they would have done it while you were unconscious. They're not going to poison you with medicine. Besides, if they wanted to poison," The black haired boy glanced at the empty plate. "They would have put it in your food."

Tsuna sweat dropped. "The fact that you are thinking like a hitman is scary and worrisome, Takeshi."

Takeshi laughed cheerfully. "Don't worry, Tsunayoshi. If I ever decide that to be my occupation, I won't ever come for you."

"How comforting." Tsuna replied dryly.

"It should be."

Rolling his eyes, Tsuna picked up the pills, knowing that it was the only way to get Takeshi to leave and allow him to work on a plan to get out of this place. If Takeshi wanted to stay so badly, he could, but as the Shadow Demon, Tsuna was not going to stick around. He put the pills in his mouth and chugged his water down. Takeshi smiled when Tsuna took the pills, but what he didn't know was that Tsuna actually pushed the pills to the side of his mouth so he wouldn't swallow them.

After supposedly taking the pills, Tsuna laid down on the bed and buried his face in the pillow while Takeshi put the bed tray on the nightstand. With his face buried in the pillow, Tsuna moved the pills around until they were by his mouth. He let them fall out before he sat up again with his hand skillfully moving up to the pillow to cover them and slowly wrap them in his fist without alerting Takeshi.

"What time is it?" He asked as he shifted slightly so he could put his hand under the pillow and release the pills.

"Hmm?" Takeshi pulled his phone out and checked the time. "It is half passed nine. Oh, and before I forget, we stopped at the school to get our stuff." He pointed at a chest at the end of the bed where a backpack was sitting. "Yours is there."

Tsuna nodded. "Thanks. Look," He started, running a hand threw his hair, which caused him to frown slightly. His hair seemed stiffer in the front and crusted dry with something. If he had a concussion like Knuckle said, then did he get an injury that caused him to bleed? He must have. The only thing he could think of that could crust in his hair at the moment was dry blood. "I'm tired and want to sleep. Is that alright?"

"Sure thing. I was thinking of going to bed myself. Night, Tsunayoshi." Takeshi said, grinning.

Tsuna nodded. "Night, Takeshi." Takeshi, being such a nice person, turned the lights off before leaving the room.

Cast into darkness, Tsuna threw the covers off him and crawled to the end of the bed. It was only because of the moonlight shining through the windows that he was able to see where his bag was and grabbed it. With his bag in hand, he moved back to the head of the bed and leaned against the pillows. He shifted the stuff in his bag around until he came across his two phones. He took his red business phone and turned it on. To his surprise, there was one voice mail.

"_Tsunayoshi-kun." _A sing-song voice said the moment he went to his voice mail. It was an all too familiar voice.

Byakuran.

**A/N: [1] Since there is no Arcobaleno curse, I didn't change Lal's flame type so don't say anything about her having different type of flames. **

**[2] That is such a fun game when you aren't doing it in Spanish. We did a round of it in my Spanish class once so of course the sentence had to be in Spanish!...grr, I can't even remember how that got brought up in Spanish class. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**A/N: Thanks to Soul Vrazy, xxOMGgalxx, RawR, xXHalfPrinceXx, Mad3lina, mangopudding, ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, shanagi95, loveless23, Ayz283, TsunaHibari1827, Xj9, Narutopokefan, KitsuneNaru, naruke3176, sexysnowcat, H0licist, Skye Guardian, FireflyAliceXIII, sUSHI SHI SHI, Saturnblue, MissSexyRain, sleepdeprived91, minato19, Five Seconds, Kanrei, purplebunny93, ahzria-hime, Gesuto, UnfadingPromise, ChaOtixReboRn, and sapphire644 for reviewing!**

**And I am not changing Reborn to the Sky Arcobaleno! It was a mistake! You people are making me feel stupid when you mention that mistake. I fixed it! I don't know how I missed that when I was proofreading it, but to be fair, I was a bit distracted by my ice cream cone. **

**Argh! I've had the worse morning even today. First, my mom had to wake me up at 6:40 because I'm supposed to be at work at 7. Hahaha, so late as you can probably guess. Then to make matters worse, my stupid car wouldn't start this morning so I had to go inside, complain to my dad, get keys to another car, and, out of frustration, throw my keys down and leave. Then I had to figure out how to adjust everything in the car I was using. 20 minutes late, hooray! To make everything worse, it wasn't until I got to work that I realized that the keys I threw away earlier were needed because I couldn't get into the station without them. So I had to call my boss so he could tell me where the hidden keys were. What a fun morning, don't you agree? *roll eyes* Stress and frustration levels were so high that I was crying. I hate mornings. **

"Talking in Italian"

"_Speaking in Japanese"_

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 8**

"_Tsunayoshi-kun." _Just hearing his name from that man in his native tongue sent chills down Tsuna's spine, and they weren't chills of fear. They were chills of anger. How dare he? _"I don't know what you did or how you escaped, but it won't happen again. You will be mine. And anyone who gets in my way will perish." _

Tsuna put his phone back in his bag when the voice mail was over. It was a good thing he was told who attacked him and that they were after him or he would have been extremely worried and confused about that voice mail. As it was, he was worried and furious. How dare that man even suggest that he would kill all his acquaintances just for trying to help him? No, they wouldn't help him. There was a reason they were only acquaintances.

It was so they never had to throw away their lives to help him. He kept them at a distance so they would never feel that they were required to help him when he needed it. They were acquaintances so they could forget each other one day. That was the way it was because Tsuna felt that one day, he may have to leave and never turn back. They would never see or hear from him again. They were acquaintances so Tsuna did not have to get attached to them. That would make everything harder.

But somewhere down the line, he made a mistake and he didn't even realize he had done so until Byakuran threatened them in his voice mail.

He had learned to care for them too much. Somewhere through all the times of laughter, spars with Kyoya, training with Ryohei, the teasing from Hayato and Takeshi, the creepy laugh from Mukuro, the way Mukuro always said "my dear Tsunayoshi" when talking to him, the times when he just hung with Lambo during breaks at school and talked about nothing important, the silly jokes he shared with Ken and Chikusa, all the fights and silly argument they all got into, he wanted something more. Somewhere along the line, he had gotten much closer to all them than he ever wished. Somehow, his guard was dropped and his heart opened up to let them all in. They had become something so much more to him. Without even meaning to, his heart had started calling them friends, while his brain still tried to convince them they were only acquaintances.

It was a huge mistake on his part. He couldn't do this anymore. He was a thief in the underground world. He couldn't just go on and allow himself to suddenly have opened his heart to his acquaintances like this. It would put them all in danger. This could no longer go on.

If his heart was going to open up like this for them, then he could no longer associate himself with them. It would hurt, but it had to be done. He didn't want them to get involved with his business.

Taking out his personal phone, Tsuna checked that it was clear of messages before putting it back in his bag. He slipped out of the bed, grabbed his shoes that were next to it, and put them on. He crossed over to the window and looked down. The ground was at least four stories away. Now, he had no problem jumping two stories, and sometimes three, but four was a bit much. He could just use his Hyper Dying Will, but he didn't want to risk getting caught with that so that left him with the choice of going down a few floors and jumping, taking the risk of walking into a room with someone in it, or going out the front door.

Decisions, decisions.

First of all, he decided it wasn't safe to move until it was a little later as they might still be people who are awake at this time.

The next two hours dragged on for him. There was absolutely nothing to do when confided to a bedroom, and to make matters worse, he still had this stupid headache to deal with. The only good thing was that by now it was just a dull throb. It is also helped that he rested for two hours, in total boredom, but it was still good.

The moment that the two hours passed, Tsuna was off the bed, throwing his backpack on one shoulder, and moving over to the door. He opened it a crack and was met with complete darkness. How the hell was he supposed to get around the stupid mansion when it was so dark in it?

After a few minutes of thought, he found that his only option was a flame. He closed the door and dug around in his bag until he found his metal gloves and pulled one of them on. His left hand came alive with flames a moment after that. He slid out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him, and looked around. A mansion! It just had to be the mansion of the biggest Mafia Famiglia out there and one he never dealt with. This was just great!

Sighing, he turned left and started that way. There had to be more than one staircase in a place this big. He was bound to come across one of them if he was lucky.

Left. Right. Right. Straight. Left. It was a never ending cycle of turns in this place. If some ever did try to steal from the Vongola, they would most likely get lost first before finding anything in this place. Not just that, but he did find staircases….that went up! They were placed in random places as if to confuse the hell out of strangers. And it was working! There were no areas where all the staircases were located in one spot. That would just be too easy for enemies.

A maze.

He was stuck in a maze.

He felt so exposed here. He was a guest here, being treated by the Sun guardian. And now he was sneaking around, using his Sky flames. This was very, very dangerous for him. He just wanted out of here before he was caught.

Frustrated with not being able to find a staircase going down, Tsuna went up the next staircase he saw. Maybe he would have better luck trying to find a staircase going down from a higher floor and starting over on the fourth floor.

But things just didn't go as planned.

He was walking through a few halls on the fifth floor when he heard it. It was the sound of footsteps approaching. It sounded like they were about to round a corner.

Not thinking of a plan, Tsuna just quickly canceled his flame and entered the nearest room. For some reason this room was different since it had doubled doors, but he paid that no mind. He simple silently closed the door behind him and looked around the room. It looked like an office. There was a desk to the side with some book cases behind it. On the wall opposite of the doors were some big windows. In front of the desk were two couches with a small table between them. So it was an office. Great, he hoped that whoever was up at this time of night wasn't coming to the office.

Not wanting to stay by the door, Tsuna moved over to the desk. He was slightly uncomfortable being in this office, but it was much better than being caught sneaking around.

With the moonlight shining into the office, Tsuna had more than enough light to get around easily. He took a quick glance at the bookshelves, wondering where anyone in the mafia found the time to read all of those books. As he was looking at the books, curious as to what type of books someone in the mafia would read, he heard muffled footsteps make their way passed the door.

Even knowing that it was now safe to leave, Tsuna didn't move from his spot in examining the books. He didn't know why, but one of the books on the bookshelf had grabbed his complete attention. From the spine, it looked like a normal book with the title written on the side. But, like a few other books on the bookshelf, the title was in Japanese. Only someone who knew Japanese would know that the book said "Live By Your Dying Will." Those words were strange enough, but the fact that they were in Japanese made it even weirder. There were a few Japanese books here to help this book blend in, but Tsuna had a feeling it wasn't a book. And his theory came from the words "Dying Will." That was something he only heard in the underground society. The Vongola Famiglia was one of the main Famiglias to use Dying Will. That book was no book.

Curious as to what the book was about, Tsuna pulled it off the shelf. He looked at the cover, and to his surprise, saw the Vongola crest on the cover of book. Above it were the words, "My Family," in Japanese again. Opening the book to the first page, Tsuna discovered that it wasn't a book, but a photo album. And the first page in it gave him the shock of a lifetime.

There, standing with their arms around each other, were Giotto Vongola and Iemitsu Sawada. His father was standing with Giotto, the Vongola head, grinning like a fool. He looked so alive and happy, standing there with the boss of the biggest mafia family. What…what was this? His dad never mentioned anything about the Vongola to him. Granted, he was only a kid when his dad died, but still.

Tsuna was still staring at the picture in shock when he heard more footsteps. His eyes snapped up to the door. Why were there so many people around on this floor when no one was on the fourth floor? In fact, the fourth floor had been completely void of life. Now that he thought about it, it was strange.

He quickly put the book back on the shelf. Forget the caution. He could no longer deal with this. He should have just taken the risk earlier, instead of walking around because now he was even more confused than ever.

Tsuna pulled out his other metal glove and pulled it on. He threw his backpack over his shoulder again and moved over to the window. He has had it with this place. Honestly, it amazed him that none of the Mafiosos here got lost.

Pushing the window open, Tsuna climbed onto the ledge and looked down. Before it was only four stories, now it was five. This was completely insane of him to do. If only he had his Shadow Demon mask…..Sighing, Tsuna pulled window shut behind him, which made it more difficult for him to stand on the narrow ledge.

Staring at the ground that was very far away, Tsuna felt his heart leap a little. Oh, this was completely insane of him. He really should have stayed in his bed and rested for the night. At least then, he could have waited until his headache was gone. That would have made this so much easier for him.

Sighing deeply, Tsuna closed his eyes and concentrated on bringing his true Hyper Dying Will out this time. He felt the warmth fill up in his chest. It was a very familiar warmth and one that he cherished a lot. Without it, he would have been so lost a few years ago. It was a calming warmth that he constantly called on when he was scared or worried. Sometimes, it even acted as his guide in difficult situations.

Taking a calming breathe, Tsuna took a step forward and beginning falling. Just as he reached the third floor, he lit his flames on his hands and started flying back up. As he was flying back up, he looked back down at the drop he took and laughed. That was actually a lot more fun than he thought. It was like sky diving. He had no idea of why he was so scared before.

Now that he was above the mansion, Tsuna had to facepalm. Of course, the blasted place the Vongola used as headquarters was a castle, not a damn mansion! They really were too powerful and rich if this was the place that they lived in and used as headquarters. And of course, it had to be in the middle of the forest, leaving him with no idea of how to get back to town.

With no other choice, Tsuna went to the front of the castle and went in that direction, hoping that it was the right direction back to the city. He just wanted to get to his apartment and rest. His headache had intensified greatly since he left the bedroom provided to him. First it was the maze, then the confusing picture, now it was the flying around. It felt like his head was going to implode.

***Demon***

"You got to admit, he is good." Lampo commented, ignoring the glares that the guardian heirs were sending his way.

"What I want to know is how he got out." Mukuro said, frowning. "The whole fourth floor was under an illusion. The only way to escape it was by going up the stairs. If he came back down to this floor, he'd be trapped again. Even the elevators only stopped on this floor. There was no way for him to escape the mansion."

Hayato glared at the illusionist. "You trapped Tsunayoshi in an illusion, pineapple head?" He growled.

A slight twitch of Mukuro's eyebrow was the only way to tell that he was annoyed at the name. "But of course. The idea was to keep him here."

"That's what the sleeping pills were for." Hayato retorted.

"And obviously, he saw through those and didn't really take them." Mukuro replied, getting more annoyed by the second. "So, thinking of that possibility, I cast an illusion over this floor."

"And it worked so well." Hayato said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't see you doing anything to help keep him here." Mukuro snapped, itching to grab his trident and impale the silver haired boy with it.

Lampo hid a yawn behind his hand. It got boring watching the kiddies fight after a while and plus, it was TOO EARLY for this! He turned to Asari, who was with him and raised a brow. "Don't you think they are acting the way Daemon and G. act when Giotto disappears on us?"

Asari nodded in agreement. "And soon, if Kyoya is anything like Alaude, he'll appear soon with Tsunayoshi or with the whereabouts of him."

"Crowding herbivores will get bitten to death."

"Right on time." Lampo commented.

Hayato forgot his argument with Mukuro and turned his glare to the prefect instead. "Bastard! You don't even care that Tsunayoshi has disappeared, do you? Just like you, cold-hearted bas–"

"The omnivore is at home resting." Kyoya cut off the Storm heir with a scowl.

"Did he tell you how he got out of the mansion or when he left?" Takeshi demanded.

"No."

"Did you ask?" Hayato demanded.

"No."

"How could you not ask?" Hayato demanded.

"Kufufu, for once I agree with him. I am curious as to how he escaped my illusion." Mukuro said, wearing a creepy smirk.

Kyoya rolled his eyes. "It was pointless to ask." At the other heirs' glares, he rolled his eyes and elaborated, "Even if I asked, I already knew he wouldn't answer."

"Why not just visit him at home?" Asari suggested when the heirs still looked disgruntled.

"Great idea!" Mukuro said, a mocking smile on his face. "The same idea we all had before, but a small problem. Tsunayoshi doesn't allow anyone over at his place so we don't know where he lives."

"That just screams suspicious." Lampo mumbled to Asari as he turned to leave. "They are so devoted to the brat that they don't notice or ignore this suspicious behavior."

***The Shadow***

Sighing, Tsuna turned off his private phone. He only left it on long enough for one his former acquaintances to call him so he could tell them he was fine. Now that it was done, he had to cut off contact with them.

What a liar he was.

Fine? He was nowhere near fine at this point.

First, it had taken him hours to get to the right city and to his apartment. By then, his headache felt a hundred times worse, his body felt like lead, and he was exhausted. When he did make it to his apartment, he just wanted to fall on his bed and pass out.

But nooooo.

He just couldn't have a simple and safe life. It just wasn't allowed.

Before he even made it up the stairs to his floor, he knew something was wrong. It was just a feeling he had, but his feelings were never wrong.

Eyes widening, heart hammering against his chest in fear, and agitated that he couldn't just sleep, Tsuna ran up the rest of the stairs and down the hall to his room. He skidded to a halt in front of his door that was tightly shut, but he was no fool. He has been involved in the underground world for years. There were times when mafiosos made grand entrances and times when they were secretive about it so as not to alert anyone about it.

And this time, it was the latter; he knew it was. There was no one else it could be.

Very lightly, Tsuna accessed his flames once more. He didn't bring out his full power though, just enough so that he could jump into Hyper Dying Will Mode in an instance if he needed to. He unlocked his door and pushed it open, but stayed standing to the side of the door. Standing in front of it was just asking to get shot.

When nothing happened after a few minutes, Tsuna carefully looked into his apartment. To his relief, he didn't see any enemies. To his anger, his apartment was completely trashed. His couch was turned over, coffee table knocked over, game system lying in pieces, plates and glasses lying in a million pieces on the ground, clothes and shoes thrown all over the places, and lying in the center of it all was his Shadow Demon mask.

Swearing in every language he knew, Tsuna entered his apartment, locking the door behind him. What the hell was this? How did whoever came here find his mask?

And not only did they find his mask, but they were also mocking him with the fact that they knew his secret by leaving the mask in the center of the mess, but also making it obvious that it was the center piece here.

Someone was definitely screwing with him, and if he was to make a guess, it was no doubt Byakuran. Only that bastard knew he was the Shadow Demon somehow so it made sense he was able to find him.

But why?

What had he forgotten that led him to being found? He had to get his memories back quickly or else he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**A/N: Thanks to hitomi65, TsunaHibari1827, Soul Vrazy, FireflyAliceXIII, sUSHI SHI SHI, Serendox, FireRaven99, Firehedgehog, xXHalfPrinceXx, skyinthenightslove, Mockingjay Rose, MissSexyRain, Xj9, ShiroHachi to KuroHachi, Sylvia-san, Ayz283, Guest, Skye Guardian, ZucchiniPiupiu, PetiteSkylark, eclipsed flower, neomac24, , Guest 2, yconne, kage kitsune no yami, tora-chan83, ImploringIdeal, Markhal, XxShadowfangxX, and NenePascielo for reviewing!**

"Talking in Italian"

"_Speaking in Japanese"_

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 9**

Takeshi glanced over at Tsunayoshi's empty seat in worry. It's been two days since they woke up to find the boy gone from the mansion. In that time, he hasn't come to school once and none of them could get in contact with him since Kyoya did that morning. Just where was he and what was he doing?

He glanced away from the empty desk to look at Hayato, who was turned around halfway to look at the empty desk as well. As if feeling eyes on him, the silver haired boy looked at Takeshi with a frown.

What the two boys didn't know was that standing on the roof of a building opposite of the school was the boy that they were looking for.

Tsunayoshi rested his elbow on the railing and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He had been here for half an hour already, just watching them all. He could see quite a few of his acquaintances and their classes from here. He truly did want to go back to school and see them, but forced himself not too. No one was going to get hurt because of him.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly. As if attracted by his voice, Takeshi and Hayato both turned to look out the window right at him. "I am so sorry, my dear friends."

SLAM!

Ms. Mina froze in her lecture to stare at the two boys that suddenly jumped up from their seats. Takeshi had even slammed his hand on his desk as he did so. "And what seems to be the problem, gentlemen?"

Without bothering to reply, both boys were running out of the room with Ms. Mina yelling at them to get back to class or she would give them detention. Neither of them listened though. They were much too concerned about the fact that they actually saw Tsunayoshi.

Outside on the roof, Tsuna chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I guess they saw me. Guess that means it's time to leave."

Running to the other end of the building, Tsuna jumped over the edge without pausing to even think about the crazy stunt he was pulling. As he was freefalling, he threw out a hand to grab an emergency ladder to halt his fall. It stung his arm and shoulder a bit, but he ignored that to drop the rest of the way to the ground and next to his motorcycle that was waiting for him. He jumped onto the bike and sped away before they could even get anywhere near him.

As he was swerving in and out of back alleys, Tsuna found himself sad. He hated leaving his friends behind like that. They were great friends, but he was turning his back to him. Even though he had a good reason, which was to protect them, he still felt horrible doing it. It was like he was betraying them and he could never see them again after this.

Because he was distracted by his thoughts, it came as a huge shock to him when he suddenly saw bright yellow streaks flying through the air and slamming into the ground in front of him. Eyes widening in shock, Tsuna's instincts kicked in and he slammed on the brakes, causing the bike to skid across the ground.

"Woah!" Tsuna breathed out when the bike came to a stop in the middle of the smoking ground that was caused by those yellow streaks.

"You are such an annoyance to track down, Tsunayoshi Sawada." A deep voice growled.

Tsuna's head whipped around to stare in shock at the tall man that was standing behind him, green gun still smoking in his hand. "Who–" He started but was cut off when the man moved to stand next to him. His whole body tensed when the man brought a hand down to his shoulder.

"Go to sleep, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna stared up at the man, fearfully. He couldn't even move with how scared he was of this man's killer intent filling the air around them. "Wh–" He started, but couldn't finish as the man's green gun came down on the back of his neck. His eyes swarmed with darkness as he fell forward and into dark obliviousness.

The boy would have fallen off the motorcycle if it wasn't for the man catching him and righting him on the bike. He then climbed on behind the boy and took over the role of the driver, trapping the boy's body between his arms. Tsuna's limp body was leaning against the man, who didn't spare him a glance as he revved up the motorcycle and took off down the alley.

***Demon***

"Ugh," was the quiet groan that escaped the boy's lips.

Looking up from his book, Reborn looked down at the boy that was on his couch. Setting his book down, the hitman stood, took a sip of his espresso and moved over to the couch to stare down at the boy. "Are you awake finally?"

Brown eyes opened a slit to stare up at him. "Who?" He murmured groggily.

"I am the number one hitman, Reborn." He replied, leaning over slightly to get closer to the boy and smirk at him. "And you're lucky that I haven't killed you yet. You were lying here so vulnerable for quite a few hours. It would have been so easy for me to slit your throat."

A satisfied smirk crossed Reborn's face when he saw the boy tense and pale even further. He moved away from the boy to give him some breathing room. "I won't harm you if you answer my questions, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna stubbornly shook his head and tried to push himself up into a sitting position. Try being the key word since he discovered when trying to move his hands to do so, he couldn't move them at all, which was how he discovered they were tied pretty tightly behind his back. Scowling, he tried his feet and discovered they were tied at his ankles.

"Damn it," He snarled, turning his glare back to Reborn. Oh, he knew about the number one hitman, but he had no idea of what he looked like until now since they never had to associate with each other. He was the number one thief and Reborn was the number one hitman. They never had any dealings before. "What can a hitman possibly want with me? Isn't it your job to kill, not kidnap?"

"Most people would be scared about being with a hitman and the fact that I am from the underground world." Reborn pointed out, smirking. He walked around to the back of the couch, amused as Tsuna's head turned so his eyes could follow him. "Do you know what I think that means, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna raised a brow. "That I am a kid who is pretty calm in bad situations."

"That you are more involved in this dark world than you let on." Reborn said as if he didn't hear Tsuna. He put his hands on the back of the couch and leaned over Tsuna to stare at him with his intimidating eyes.

"You shouldn't be so suspicious of everyone, Reborn." Tsuna retorted, but on the inside he was sweating bullets. The number one hitman was here and suspected him being involved with the mafia! Why did he even care? This was absolutely crazy. There had to be a way out of this.

"Oh?" Reborn raised a brow before picking something off the table that was behind the couch that Tsuna couldn't see. "Then what is this?" He said, holding the orange box that Tsuna always carried on himself.

"You went through my stuff?" Tsuna said incredulously. Who did this rude man think he was? Well, at least this rude man let him lie on this extremely stiff and uncomfortable couch…stupid sadistic man.

"Tell me, boy. What normal boy has box weapons?" Reborn asked.

"It's not mine. I'm just holding it for a friend." Tsuna retorted with a cheeky grin.

Dropping the box, Reborn leaned over the couch and grabbed Tsuna's hair to pull the boy roughly up. "Do you not know what situation you are in?"

Tsuna's eyes flashed with annoyance before they were serious. "What do you want from me, Reborn? What could you possibly need a kid for?" He asked harshly, trying to rip his head away from Reborn, which only resulted in pain to his skull and the hitman holding his hair more tightly.

"This is only a favor to Vongola Nono." Reborn replied, releasing the boy.

Not expecting that, Tsuna fell back onto his back like a limp doll, but his eyes were wide, losing all their seriousness. The Vongola? The Vongola hired the number one hitman to track him down and kidnap him? Oh, dear god, what the hell had he done to earn the wrath of the Vongola and Millefiore?

"It seems you realize the position you are in at least."

"What does the Vongola want with me?" Tsuna whispered hoarsely. Why? Why was the most powerful mafia Famiglia out there after him? He stayed away from the Vongola. They were dangerous and not someone you wanted to anger. He reviewed his jobs before accepting them to make sure he didn't earn the wrath of the Vongola when he did them. They could easily kill him if they wanted after they found him, which, in hindsight, he realized the Vongola could easily do. They just never did because they did have some honor and respect…..or he just never caught their attention. He was going to go for the former because it made him feel better, or was that worse considering the situation he was in?

"You ran from their mansion. They were only giving you protection and helping you recuperate, and yet, you ran, which means you fear them and knew about them. We also know the Millefiore is after you. You are in a whole lot of trouble, Tsunayoshi." Reborn said.

"In the underground world," Tsuna retorted, looking away from the hitman's dark calculating eyes. "Unless you are part of the Vongola or allied with them, you either avoid them and don't anger them or you become their enemy. I want nothing to do with them. It is my choice to hide from them. So," He turned to glare at the hitman. "Tell them to stay out of my business. And, UNTIE ME, DAMN IT!"

"I still need information from you and I can't have you making any daring escapes just yet." Reborn replied as he went back to his chair and sat down. He grabbed his espresso and took a sip of it. "So, let's get started."

"How about we not and say we did?" Tsuna suggested sarcastically, staring at the ceiling with such anger that if it was possible, he would have burned holes in it already. There had to be a way. He needed to get out here. He couldn't afford to give anything about himself away. It was bad enough that his name, age, and appearance were already known by them. They couldn't know anymore.

"Eight years ago there was a brutal murder in Namimori, Japan." Reborn started, causing Tsuna to tense ever so slightly. Namimori was a small place and a lot of crime didn't happen there. Murders especially were a rare thing. They were so rare that one could sometimes tell what murder someone was talking about in that place. "The people killed were Nana and Iemitsu Sawada."

"That's got nothing to do with me." Tsuna said calmly, though on the inside he was freaking out. If Reborn knew his parents, then that means that the Vongola also knew. He knew for sure that the Vongola boss knows them. He clearly had a picture of his dad in his office, but how? And why doesn't he know the boss? If his dad knew him, then shouldn't Tsuna know him as well or did his dad keep the underground world completely from him? He couldn't remember with how long it has been. But if he didn't know them, then was it vice-versa. Did they also not know that Iemitsu had a son? Was his dad even part of the mafia? For all he knew, he could have just been friends with Giotto, but had nothing to do with the underground world.

What did all this mean?

"Are you sure?" Reborn asked in a tone that said he didn't believe him. "Sawada is not a common last name."

"Maybe so, but it's not so uncommon that you can't find another Sawada that has nothing to do with those people who got killed." Tsuna argued.

'True." Reborn conceded as he took another sip of his espresso.

Shifting on the couch, Tsuna turned onto his side. "Okay, if I promise not to run or try to escape, will you untie me?"

"No."

Groaning, Tsuna knocked his head against the stiff couch once. "Why?"

"Simple, I don't believe you."

"Even if you don't, I can't go anywhere." Tsuna said quietly, staring at the hitman. "We both know I can't beat you. You are too powerful. You are a hitman, I'm a thief. I may know how to fight, but I don't know how to survive like you. That is your area of expertise. Even if I try to escape, you can easily capture me again."

"A thief? Now that I didn't know." Reborn said with a smirk as Tsuna looked thunderstruck and begin cursing under his breath. "It makes sense when you think about it. An elusive and skilled thief would be able to escape the Vongola Mansion."

"But the bike? Now that is something curious that I want to know about."

Tsuna tensed. "My motorcycle?"

"Not only are you not old enough to drive, you shouldn't even be able to get one, especially one that runs on flames. I do not know of any motorcycles that run on flames, which means it is unique and specially made for you. I'm sure I can find the person who manufactured it for you and find out who it was given to." Reborn said thoughtfully, secretly enjoying the fear that crossed Tsuna's face.

"Y-you can't!" He shouted. He wasn't sure if Giannini would keep quiet like he promised. After all, by this point in time, he owed nothing to the Shadow Demon. He could tell if he wished, but that would be…breaking…the… "Omerta!"

"Oh, you're going to try that?" Reborn said. "Then you'll just have to tell me where the bike came from and who made it for you, aren't you?"

***The Shadow***

SLAM!

A depressed Hayato glanced away from glaring at the wall to look at the person who slammed the door open to the lounge that was specially made for the guardian heirs. They finally saw Tsunayoshi today, and he completely vanished on them a second time.

"What are you doing, Kyoya?" He demanded when he saw a furious skylark in the doorway.

When the Prefect just shot him a glare and moved to his corner of the room, the Storm heir turned to Kusakabe who was accompanying him yet again. "We found Tsunayoshi's apartment," He started, which gained the attention of all the heirs that were in the room, which included Hayato, Takeshi, and Lambo. "It was a wreck. Either he wrecked it and ran or someone else found it before us."

"Millefiore." Takeshi snarled, completely unlike him, and gripped his sword more tightly. Damn it, just what was he doing? He was supposed to be the Rain guardian in the future. What kind of guardian was he going to make when he can't even protect Tsunayoshi or even find him? Was he really that weak? If he was stronger, could he have saved Tsunayoshi from getting amnesia and preventing all this from happening?

"At the very least, we still know he is Italy and not in Millefiore's hands." Hayato said.

"But he's hiding from us." Lambo pointed out, getting a few glares for doing so. They all knew that, but none of them wanted to say it. Just what was Tsunayoshi doing?

"We are missing something." Hayato growled, punching the back of the couch in frustration. What did Tsunayoshi not tell them? And did he keep it a secret because he didn't trust them? "Something important that will tie this all together."

***Demon***

"Is your secret," Tsuna strained his eyes to stare at the gun that Reborn had pressed to his forehead. The hitman was sitting on the edge of the couch with his gun on him. "Really that," he gently drew the gun down his cheek to his neck, causing Tsuna's breath to hitch in fear. "Important?" He continued to lightly trace the gun down his neck to his chest.

"W-we've all got secrets that we value." Tsuna said, trying to calm his racing heart. He needed to be calm to think rationally or he might accidentally reveal something again.

"More than," Reborn traced the gun to Tsuna's shoulder and down his arm, then back up and to his heart. "Your life?"

"You won't kill me." Tsuna said confidentially.

"Oh? And why not?"

Tsuna's mind was going on overdrive. He needed a way to escape. He needed anything that could be used as incentive with Reborn. He had no idea if the Vongola was going to kill him after they got the information from him so he needed a new road that would interest them and Reborn. Something that they all wanted…..

"Millefiore!" Tsuna said.

"What?"

Tsuna took a calming breath and explained. "Their leader, Byakuran, he wants me. And you guys want to take the Millefiore out, right? We can help each other. Protect me from them and I'll help in any way I can to help take them out. Agree?" He finished, staring determinedly at the hitman.

**A/N: Please Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

**A/N: Thanks to UnfadingPromise, Serendox, tora-chan83, fatesmask, blacklightningwolf, mangopudding, NenePasciele, Markhal, kakita101, Alia Inverse, TsunaHibari1827, Soul Vrazy, Five Seconds, Wolf D. Dragon, Kanrei, Mimi522, Past Story, PurpleBlue23, MissSexyRain, XxShadowfangxX, Narutopokefan, shanagi95, blizzard 10, cutelildragon, Xj9, VongolaFamilia, Sylvia-san, Tiger723, , Sina Xiel, TheUndertaker-27, aiRingo, Rikkai and hyotei lover, Azrayah, MintLeafeon, echo andalice, asian0music0lover, Niwaki, xXStorm-AraXx, KK, princess123897, Deko, charm13insomnia, hibary-kyo, PureTower21, for reviewing!**

**A/N: There are some italicized parts in the story that have nothing to do with the story. They are just names of the quotes that are said. It's my way of giving them credit for the quotes. **

"Talking in Italian"

"_Speaking in Japanese"_

'_Thinking'_

**Chapter 10**

Raising a brow, Reborn removed his gun from Tsuna and stood up. "An interesting proposition, but why should I accept? One little boy isn't going to help much in taking down the Millefiore."

Tsuna swung his feet off the couch and planted them firmly on the ground to help him sit up properly. Once he was up, he stared at Reborn. "There is a reason that the Millefiore is after me, Reborn. I have great power."

"Hmm, then shouldn't I just kill you?" Reborn retorted, pointing his gun at Tsuna's head again, except this time, the boy didn't flinch. He just kept staring determinedly at the hitman. "Get you out of the way so you can't give your power to them."

"I wouldn't help those bastards in a million years. There is a reason why I never accept a job from them." Tsuna replied calmly as he leaned back into the couch. "And you need my help, Reborn."

"Why does the Vongola need the help of a brat?" Reborn asked, lowering his gun.

Smirking, Tsuna's eyes suddenly shined with a mischievous twinkle. "Because if the Vongola had the power to take down the Millefiore, they would have done so a long time."

"You are scared of the Vongola and its power, and yet, you say you have the power to take down the Millefiore." Reborn summarized, raising a skeptical brow.

'_No, I'm lying, you idiot.' _Tsuna thought, but on the outside, he showed nothing. "I am one person. To take on the whole Vongola by myself, which has the Varia and CEDEF backing it up, is suicide."

Reborn sat down in his chair and stared at Tsuna with a contemplating look. He never had any orders to kill the boy, but he never needed orders to kill someone before. He just wouldn't get paid if he killed someone without orders. Then there were the guardian heirs who wouldn't be all too happy with him if he killed their acquaintance.

But a few threats that he wouldn't go through with were always good and got him some good propositions from his prisoners. And this proposition just might have a few good points to it. This boy, if Byakuran really was after him, could be of good use to the Vongola to finally get rid of the Millefiore. When he accepted this job from Giotto to find some information out on this boy that the guardian heirs were completely loyal to, he never expected something like this. He knew he had the authority to do whatever he could to get the information he needed from the boy as long as he didn't kill him, but the offer to help get rid of the Millefiore had never crossed his mind.

"Why is the Millefiore after you?" Reborn asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know." Tsuna half-lied. "I lost my memory of the last two months. Something must have happened then that I would have caught their attention." _'Or, their damn boss never forgot the scared boy he saw eight years ago that interested him because he was player. But once more, player in WHAT?' _

"I'm trying to be civil here, Tsunayoshi, but you are making it rather difficult." Reborn said.

Tsuna scowled. "I can't help it if I've lost my memories! Get mad at those damn Millefiore agents for coming after me if you want someone to blame for this!"

"All you've got to do is tell me who you are in the underground world." Reborn growled.

The brown haired boy raised a brow. "Hardly seems fair if you ask me. You know my real name, but I don't know yours and yet, you are asking me to tell you my identity in the underground world. Shouldn't this be a fair trade?"

"Well, I tried being civil." Reborn said and pulled out a black gun.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" Tsuna shouted frantically, reeling back on the couch. "No need for guns, Reborn!"

The hitman pointed the gun at the ceiling so Tsuna would calm down, but he had an amused smirk on his lips. "Are you that afraid of guns?"

"I'm afraid of what you do with them! Those yellow streaks I saw in the alley were bullets from that gun with your sun flames! Those things are highly dangerous when in your hand!" Tsuna growled. "That was your Chaos shot, wasn't it?"

"Very good, Tsunayoshi." Reborn replied. "But I'm not going to fire that shot in my house."

Momentarily forgetting his fear, Tsuna looked around the house he was in, well the living room at least. It did look like a nice place, a normal one. Well, if he wanted to hide from the authorities, living in a normal place was best. "So, the number one hitman kidnapped me and brought me back to his place? What? Do you think I won't be able to escape from here and discover where we are?"

Reborn put a hand on the back of the couch and leaned over Tsuna so their faces were only a few inches apart. He put his gun under Tsuna's chin and tilted the boy's head back with it. "You'd be a fool to try to come back here for any reason at all, Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"O-of course, Reborn. I won't ever return to your house under the threat of death." Tsuna replied, giving a shaky smile. "I'd salute you, but my hands are still tied behind my back."

"Smartass." Reborn grumbled as he stepped back from the boy.

Sighing in relief when Reborn walked away from him, Tsuna leaned his head on the back of the couch to stare at the ceiling. Why? Oh, why did he have to be held captured by the number one hitman? He wasn't a bad person…well, accept that he was a thief…..But that didn't mean anyone had the right to kidnap him and keep threatening to shoot him! He even avoided people like Reborn so he didn't make enemies of them so things like this didn't happen to him. Oh, where did he go wrong?

"I'm still waiting for an answer." Reborn's voice interrupted his dramatic thoughts.

"Can't you respect a kid's privacy?" Tsuna retorted.

"Not when it is going to help take the Millefiore out."

Tsuna glared at the man. "I can see why you have no friends. Your only concern is reaching the goal. Anything that happens along the way, even lost comrades, means nothing to you! You only care about reaching your goal! If anyone gets hurt along the way, it's not your problem."

He didn't even get the chance to realize he said something wrong until Reborn had already grabbed him by his shirt and thrown him to the hard ground, freezing him in place with the shock of the pain running through his body. His mind was a total blank as his eyes stared in absolute confusion and a bit of fear at the man that had him pinned to the ground.

"You really don't understand the world you have gotten yourself involved in, do you?" Reborn said harshly. "This place may not be all sunshine and daisies, but we still have our honor and loyalties. We still mope for those who we've lost in missions. The world is covered in darkness, and we are the ones in the midst of it. Our honor and loyalties fill Famiglias. Family is not who you share blood with but rather who you'll shed blood for. That is what this world means. We are part of the crime world and we do bad things, but never forget. We never abandon someone. We don't leave them to die. And if they die protecting us, we go back for revenge. This world is filled with wars, never ending wars because of the tension that comes when one of our own is killed. The goal is never reached if someone gets killed along the way. Do you understand this?" The hitman scowled at the brown eyes that just blinked at him.

"No, you don't. I know you. You don't make friends, but acquaintances. You never let anyone get close enough to you because you don't want them hurt. And when they begin to get too close, you run. You don't understand the loyalties that we have for our Famiglias here. So, what are you doing in this dark world, Tsunayoshi?"

Reborn roughly turned Tsuna onto his side and grabbed a hidden knife. He cut the boy's arms and legs free before standing up and leaving the room. All Tsuna could do was collapse on his back and stare at the ceiling in complete shock. What…what was that all about?

***The Shadow***

A scowl crossed the hitman's face when he entered the living room hours later to find the boy still lying on the ground. He grabbed the boy's arm and threw him onto the couch. "I untied you. You could have ran so why didn't you?"

"I….I…" Tsuna mumbled, staring at the hitman.

Reborn rolled his eyes. Did he shock the kid that much? "Knock out of it." He said, whacking the boy on the head roughly.

"Ow," Tsuna whined, rubbing his head. "What did you do that for?"

"You were out of it like an idiot just because I pointed something out to you." Reborn said.

"Doesn't mean you hit me." Tsuna grumbled. He leaned back on the couch and turned his complete attention to the hitman. "So, what do you want now?"

Reborn took his own seat before turning back to the boy and saying, "Your deal, it seems to have interested Vongola Nono."

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he didn't know that Reborn had decided to contact the Vongola just yet. He was expecting to have a bit more time before the hitman did that. But, hey, at least he wasn't dead yet! That had to mean something. "So, that means….?"

"It seems that Giotto is considering going against Millefiore with your help, if he deems you as strong as you claim."

"Then, it's you and me versus the world...we attack at dawn." Tsuna declares dramatically to Reborn, throwing one his hands out in front of him like he wanted Reborn to grab it in an act of companionship.

Reborn rubbed his throbbing temples. "Don't make me want to hurt you."

"You seem to be a very sadistic person." Tsuna commented, grinning slightly. "Must be why you became a hitman."

"I will gag you, smartass." Reborn threatened.

"Eh?" Tsuna said, wide eyed. "Does that mean you'll tie me up again? I don't want to be restrained again! It is so horrible, you know?"

Reborn smirked. "No, I do not know. I never let myself be captured before."

Scowling, Tsuna crossed his arms, glaring at Reborn. "Surely, that is a lie. You aren't perfect. There had to be a mistake at some point in your career."

"Unlike you, Tsunayoshi, I had training from a pro and became the best. I've never been kidnapped or captured."

"How do you know I don't have teacher?" Tsuna retorted. "You don't even know my codename in the underground world."

A smirk graced the hitman's lips, which annoyed the thief to no end. All he was doing was constantly pointing out the fact that he was much better than Tsuna. Which wasn't hard to do! Tsuna was still a kid while Reborn was a trained adult. Of course he was better than Tsuna.

"A tutor wouldn't leave a fifteen year old boy on his own. He would have stuck around to make sure nothing happened to his dear apprentice." Reborn replied. "Including saving him from being kidnapped."

Well, that made sense. The underground world was a dangerous place, even more so when it was a fifteen year old by himself. If there was a master for him, he wouldn't have let him go off on his own like this. He would watch over him a bit, even if they didn't live together. "Okay, I'm a lonely criminal. So what? Can I leave now?"

"No."

"But I've agreed to–"

A raised eyebrow and a frown cut Tsuna off. Reborn tapped a finger on the armrest of his chair. "You've agreed to letting the Vongola protect you, and I am not going through the trouble of hunting you down and kidnapping you again."

"It's like you don't trust me!" Tsuna grumbled.

"I don't."

"Why not?"

"Never trust a thief. They have no honor."

Tsuna scowled. "I have my honor. I never steal for my own pleasure, only when I get a job. I don't kill and try to keep causalities to a minimum."

"So you have it all figured out."

Choosing not to reply, Tsuna looked behind Reborn at the black curtains that covered the window. Because of those stupid curtains he couldn't figure out where he was by looking out the window. That must have been the purpose. No one could see in the house and no one could see out it. He would prefer to know where he was before he made a daring escape from Reborn, but if that wasn't possible, it wasn't possible.

A smirk graced Reborn's lips when he saw Tsuna scowling at his black curtains. So it seems the boy was finally thinking about finding a way to escape from his house. He had a clear chance earlier, but because he was so shocked, he couldn't even find it in himself to attempt an escape.

Standing up, Reborn left the living room, feeling Tsuna's eyes on him as he went. He went down to the kitchen. As he was there, his ears were trained for any noise from the living room. Being a trained thief, Tsunayoshi should be good at being silent, but even the best sometimes made mistakes….unless it was him. He never made a mistake.

Once Reborn was gone from the living room, Tsuna waited another minute to see if he would come back. When he didn't, Tsuna grabbed his box and chain of rings off the table behind the couch before leaving the living room himself.

It was relative easy for him to find the front door of the place. The problem came when he found the door though. There were multiple locks on the door. Some were locked from the outside, while others were locked from the inside. Then there were the chain locks, which weren't a problem. All he had to do was unhook those. The problem were the locks that were locked from outside. He either needed to find the key or pick the lock.

That damn Reborn! The purpose of this was to keep people out, but also keep prisoners locked in!

"Having fun?" An amused voice asked.

Tsuna sent a glare at the hitman over his shoulder.

"Well, while you're thinking of an escape plan, let's have dinner. Can't have my prisoner starving to death on me." Reborn said before waving his hand dramatically in front of him with a bow like a butler to let Tsuna go first.

Snorting, Tsuna did as he was told. He didn't really have a choice here. "You like your cosplay and playing fake parts too much." He muttered. "But I guess it's great practice when you have to do so in a job."

"You've never done it?"

"My work is confidential." Tsuna replied calmly as he was directed to a seat at the dinner table while Reborn went over to the counter and stove to continue making dinner. The seat he was in was at a good angle for Reborn to keep an eye on him while preparing the food.

While Reborn was cooking, Tsuna was looking around the kitchen for anything that he could use to escape. He needed something to get out of here unscratched, hopefully, and without catching Reborn's attention. He also had to do it in a way that wouldn't alert the hitman to just what thief he was. The Shadow Demon had certain tricks that were solely defined as his. Everyone in the underground world knew what they were so Reborn could easily claim him as the Shadow Demon if he did something even remotely like that thief. His only saving grace was that he didn't have any interaction with the hitman before this so his personality couldn't be compared to the Shadow Demon by Reborn.

The only sound in the kitchens were the ones being made by Reborn, who was subtly giving Tsuna looks once in a while, as he prepared food. Normally Tsuna wouldn't have a problem with the silence, but considering who he was with and how the silence could be interpreted, he was getting jumpy and couldn't stop tapping his fingers on the table as a way to deal with the nerves. He needed some type of conversation going.

"Hey, Reborn, do you think I'll end up getting Stockholm Syndrome if I stay with you for too long?" Tsuna asked.

"Dear god, I hope not." Reborn muttered. There was only so much he could handle of a smartass thief.

"Reborn? Is something wrong?" Tsuna asked innocently.

"Will not shoot. Will not shoot. Will not shoot."

Sweat dropping, Tsuna returned to silence. Maybe it wasn't in his best interest to start a conversation with the hitman…then again, it was fun annoying him. But, as he looked at Reborn cooking, he decided he liked living and not getting poisoned food.

When the food was finally done and placed in front of him, Tsuna looked at it warily. Even though Reborn said Giotto was interested in his deal, he wouldn't put it past him to give a poison that would at least immobile him for a while.

As if reading his mind, Reborn rolled his eyes and snatched some food from Tsuna's plate and put it in his mouth. "There is no poison in it so eat."

"Never trust anyone who wants what you've got. Friend or no, envy is an overwhelming emotion. _Eubie Blake._" Tsuna retorted, stabbing his food with a fork while shooting an untrusting glare at Reborn.

Reborn put his glass down, giving his victim a mocking smirk. "And what is that you got that I want?"

"You're going to use me for Vongola's own good." Tsuna pointed out, watching Reborn take his glass and take a sip out of it to show that it was poisoned before giving it to the untrusting thief. "I could never trust someone like that. Someone who only uses others."

"Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks. _Isaac Watts._" Reborn replied as if accepting Tsuna's reasoning to distrust him. But then he frowned as he examined the boy in front of him who was no longer giving him any of his attention as he was focused on his food. It was true that trusting people too much could harm them, but to distrust everyone completely would result in an extremely lonely world. Even he had people he trusted and could call family and friends.

***Demon***

Reborn glanced at the boy that was now had his knees pulled to his chest and was staring at Reborn as if he feared that removing his eyes from him for just an instance would be fatal. "I'm not promising you any full-time protection. There is always a chance you will die."

Tsuna raised a brow. He already knew that. There was always a chance they would die in this world. "I risk my life stealing from mafia Famiglias all the time. What was it….Oh! The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. Mark Twain said that you know. I like to think I've been living my life. As long as I am doing what I want and for the best reasons that I believe are right, I am alright with dying."

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. _J. Robert Oppenheimer. _You follow me, I may destroy your world and everything you know and understand." Reborn retorted, pushing off the wall he was leaning against.

The thief scowled. Reborn has already pointed out that he didn't understand this underground world as well as he should already. What else could he possibly destroy for him? "Am I not destroying enemies when I make friends with them? _Abraham Lincoln._"

Reborn shook his head. "A friend is nothing but an enemy. _Kurt Cobain. _You will be dealing with a great enemy if you agree to work with me."

"What does that matter?" Tsuna retorted, glaring once more at his kidnapper. "You kidnapped ME! Whether I want this or not doesn't matter, not as long as you hold my freedom over me. This great enemy I will be dealing with will be coming whether I want it to or not, whether I work with you or not. This is MY FATE! DESTINY! I can't escape it. The only thing I can do is survive, and I will do whatever it takes to survive, even making deals with the Vongola and number one hitman."

"Is that all you care about?" Reborn asked, frowning darkly.

Tsuna jerked at the implication and looked away from Reborn. "Again with the family thing, Reborn? Leave them out of this!"

"Them? I never said anything about anyone." Reborn said, moving slowly over to the couch where Tsuna was sitting. "Would 'them' be those acquaintances you swore to never get close to?"

Eyes narrowed, Tsuna looked away from his capturer. "I have agreed to work with the Vongola on this. That is all we need right now. Can I go to sleep now?"

"There is a guest room upstairs. Don't attempt to escape." Reborn replied as he stood up and motioned for Tsuna to do the same. "I'll show you where it is."

The room Reborn gave him was small, but it had a bed and that was all Tsuna cared about. He kicked is shoes off and collapsed facedown onto it. He heard Reborn close the door as he left, which was followed by a clicking sound which told the boy that the door was locked.

Sighing, Tsuna rolled onto his side and pulled his pillow down to his chest so he could hug it. He looked at the clock on the nightstand to see that it was almost midnight.

"Ridiculous." Tsuna muttered. "A fool he is."

For the next half hour Tsuna just laid on his bed and played with his rings. He took one off of his chain and slipped it onto his finger. How could Reborn forget that he took his things back? The number one hitman never made a mistake, until now. Or, did he leave them with him on purpose? Did he want Tsuna to attempt to escape?

Honestly, Tsuna didn't care. He wasn't going to stay trapped here. No one kept the Shadow Demon locked up.

So after a half hour of pretending to be asleep, Tsuna sat up and quietly slipped his shoes back on. Not making a noise, which he was very good at from his years of being the perfect thief, he moved over to the window and tried to open it. Go figure, the window was stuck shut.

Scoffing at the thought that a stuck window would keep him trap, Tsuna pulled his gloves on and enter his Hyper Dying Will mode. "You're going to so want to kill me for this, Reborn." He murmured, amusement filling his voice. His fist was swarmed in his bright orange flames before he slammed it into the wall. There was a loud SMASH that filled the entire vicinity that was followed by rubble crashing into the ground below. Tsuna paid none of it any heed though as he chose to simply fly off into the sky instead. He had to get away before Reborn showed up.

In the sky, Tsuna paused for a moment to turn around to face the house with a frown. "Protection from the Vongola?" He snorted. "As if I'd really want that." With those parting words, he turned back around and flew off into the night sky.

**A/N: I can't recall if I gave Tsuna the X-burner yet. Well, he's not supposed to have it yet. So if you ever saw anywhere in the beginning of the story that said he had it, well the story is lying to you. He does not have that yet. **

**Oh, this was just so much to fun to write with Reborn and Tsuna. I love making Tsuna a smartass. It was my enjoyment of this chapter…the whole chapter was their interaction, which it wasn't supposed to be. It just happened. **

**Please Review!**


End file.
